Clause 55

Where the Commissioner holds a hearing for the purposes of this Act, the Commissioner has all the powers of a District Judge to summon and examine witnesses and administer oaths or affirmations and to compel the production of documents and material objects.

The evidence of every witness must be recorded in writing or in any other suitable form of recording that can reduce the evidence to a readable form.

Evidence recorded in writing or, if it is not recorded in writing, the transcript of the evidence recorded, must be signed by the Commissioner, and forms part of the record of the proceedings.

The evidence of any witness may be recorded as a brief memorandum of the substance of the evidence, except that the evidence of any medical witness must be recorded as nearly as may be word for word.

Every person who gives evidence before the Commissioner is bound to answer truthfully all questions put to that person by the Commissioner.