Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move amendments (4) and (5) as circulated in my name together:

(4) Clause 73, page 69 (line 10), at the end of subclause (5), add:

; (c) the context in which the witness is appearing at the hearing;

(d) the need for the public not to scrutinise a witness before the corruption investigation has been completed.

(5) Clause 95, page 82 (lines 9 and 10), omit subclause (2), substitute:

(2) The notation must permit disclosure of information to:

(a) the spouse of the recipient of the notice to produce or private hearings summons (unless the spouse is a subject of the corruption investigation in relation to which the notice or summons is given); and

(b) any mental health professional who is providing mental health care to the recipient of the notice to produce or private hearings summons.

My fourth amendment will seek to ensure that, when the commissioner plans to make a public statement about an investigation, they must consider the need to, firstly, provide the context in which a witness is called; and, secondly, provide support against the onslaught of public scrutiny that may arise throughout the investigation. The fifth amendment aims to sure that those who are facing an inquiry will be able to at least share the fact that they have been summoned with their spouse, unless the spouse is also under investigation, to alleviate pressures and provide support during a time that is no doubt stressful and, in some cultures, tremendously humiliating. These amendments tie in with amendments (1) to (3) to ensure that individuals who are called in to an inquiry will have the support they need, especially those from non-English-speaking backgrounds.

May I remind this House that one of our democratic cornerstones is the fact that people are innocent until found guilty. As I'm sure many in this House know, the 24/7 news cycle and social media can be the harshest of judges. They can be damaging to your reputation and mental health. Mental health awareness in Australia has been growing, particularly in the last few years due to COVID. However, for many CALD communities, mental health is often misunderstood and misrepresented due to language barriers. In my own language, the Vietnamese language, the direct translation of 'depression' is either 'mad' or 'sad'; there is not a word in the Vietnamese language that can properly convey the depths of despair one might feel if they were to go through a bad mental health spiral. For anyone caught in front of an inquiry, it's surely intimidating, but if English is not your first language—

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