Royal Commissions Act 1991

A commission, a commissioner, a member of the staff of a commission or an authorised person may—

inspect a document or other thing produced before, or delivered to, the commission; and

retain possession of the document or thing for such period as is necessary for the purposes of the inquiry to which the document or thing relates; and

for a document produced before, or delivered to, the commission—make copies of, or take extracts from, such parts of the document as are relevant to a matter the subject of the inquiry.

Where a document is retained under subsection (1) (b)—

the person otherwise entitled to possession of the document is entitled to be supplied, as soon as practicable, with a copy certified by a commissioner to be a true copy and the certified copy must be received in all courts as evidence as if it were the original; and

until the certified copy is supplied, the commission must, at such times and places as it considers appropriate, permit the person otherwise entitled to possession of the document, or a person authorised by that person, to inspect and make copies of, or take extracts from, the document.

Where the retention of a document or other thing by a commission ceases to be necessary for the purposes of an inquiry, the commission must, if a person who appears to the commission to be entitled to the document or thing so requests, cause the document or thing to be delivered to the person.