Section 45

safety matter within the meaning given by section 29;

any facts, statistics or other data about any conduct, transaction, process, practice, occurrence, circumstance or matter affecting, or that might affect, aviation safety, and which is in a form that is capable of being communicated, analysed or processed (whether by an individual or a computer or other automated methods); and

data sets that are relevant to aviation safety management,but does not include excluded information;“competent authority” means the person designated by the voluntary reporting rules as the competent authority for the purpose of section 48(4) in respect of each voluntary and confidential reporting scheme established by those rules;“excluded information” means —

all statements (whether oral or in writing) obtained from persons by an Inspector, or by a person acting under the authority of the Minister or Chief Inspector of Accidents, in the course of an investigation under Part 2A (including any record of any such statement);

all communications with any person having been involved in the operation of an aircraft that is being or has been investigated under Part 2A;

all medical or private information regarding persons (including deceased persons) involved in the accident or incident that is being or has been investigated under Part 2A;

records of the analysis of information or evidential material acquired in the course of an investigation under Part 2A (such as but not limited to flight recorder information), including any opinion expressed by a person in the analysis of such information or evidential material;

any information about any conduct, transaction, process, practice, occurrence, circumstance or matter that is prescribed by the voluntary reporting rules as excluded information;

any reportable safety matter within the meaning given by section 29;

any information about any contravention of any provision of this Part which is not required by section 29 to be reported;

any matter showing a serious and imminent threat to a person’s health or life; or

an act of unlawful interference within the meaning of section 63;“protected information” means —

information that is contained in a report of an aviation safety matter made under any voluntary reporting rules;

information that is obtained or generated by a designated person in the course of considering a report of an aviation safety matter made under any voluntary reporting rules;

records of the analysis of information contained in a report of an aviation safety matter made under any voluntary reporting rules, including opinions expressed by a person in that analysis; or

information about any other aviation safety matter that is obtained or generated by the Authority in the performance of its functions or duties under this Act or any other written law.[12