New Defence and Veterans' Service Commission Can Seize Items; Up to 2 Years Jail for Blocking Inquiries
Defence and Veterans' Service Commissioner Bill 2025
House of Representatives
Senate
Assent
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
A person commits an offence if they conceal, mutilate or destroy documents.
Providing false or misleading information or documents is a criminal offence.
People face up to 2 years in prison for ignoring a notice or skipping a special inquiry hearing.
The Defence and Veterans’ Service Commissioner can hold hearings in private.
The Commissioner can force witnesses to take an oath or make an affirmation during special inquiries.
The Commissioner can share non-intelligence information with law enforcement if a law was broken.
Eligible judges can issue search warrants based on reasonable grounds.
The Commonwealth will establish the Defence and Veterans' Service Commission and appoint a Commissioner to lead it.
The Commissioner can make inquiry submissions public, unless the person or group who provided them asks for them to stay private.
The Commissioner can hold hearings in private and can require witnesses to give evidence under oath during special inquiries.
Eligible judges can issue search warrants to enter premises and seize items if there are reasonable grounds to do so.
People face up to 2 years jail if they fail to attend a hearing, give information, or produce documents for a special inquiry.
People can be criminally charged if they provide false or misleading information or documents for special inquiries.
People can be criminally charged if they threaten to harm someone for giving information to the Commissioner.
Topics
criminal penalties defence and veterans defence services government accountability government inquiries government oversight government transparency information disclosure information privacy legal accountability legal evidence military oversight privacy public administration public inquiries public records search warrants veterans affairs veterans services whistleblower protection +15 more