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Inquiries Act 2013

Duties, powers, immunities, and privileges - Persons participating in inquiry

17: Designation of core participants

You could also call this:

"Who gets to be a core participant in an inquiry and have a say in what happens"

Illustration for Inquiries Act 2013

When you are part of an inquiry, the people in charge can choose someone to be a core participant. They can do this at any time and they must tell the person in writing. You might be chosen if you were involved in what the inquiry is looking at.

The inquiry considers a few things when deciding who to choose as a core participant. They think about whether you played a big role in what the inquiry is about. They also think about whether you have a big interest in what the inquiry is about, or if you might be criticised.

If you are chosen as a core participant, you have the right to share your thoughts and give evidence to the inquiry. You can also make submissions, which means you can give your opinion or information about what the inquiry is looking at. The inquiry can tell you how to do this, so you might have to follow some rules.

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Part 3Duties, powers, immunities, and privileges
Persons participating in inquiry

17Designation of core participants

  1. At any time an inquiry may, by written notice, designate any person to be a core participant in the inquiry.

  2. In determining whether to designate a person as a core participant, an inquiry must consider whether that person—

  3. played, or may have played, a direct and significant role in relation to the matters to which the inquiry relates:
    1. has a significant interest in a substantial aspect of the matters to which the inquiry relates:
      1. may be subject to explicit or serious criticism during the inquiry or in the report.

        1. Every person designated as a core participant has the right to give evidence and make submissions to the inquiry, subject to any directions of that inquiry as to the manner in which evidence is to be given and submissions made.