On an application to declare a witness hostile under s 98(2) of the Evidence Act 1910 (Tas), the party may cross-examine the witness on the voir dire, but only to the extent that questioning is confined to the existence of prior inconsistent statements, the circumstances and reasons for inconsistency, and the nexus between inconsistency and hostility. General questioning as to character and prior conduct is ordinarily irrelevant to the issue.
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