Criminal Procedure Act 1986

In this Division—

A counselling communication is a protected confidence for the purposes of this Division even if it—

was made before the acts constituting the relevant sexual assault offence occurred or are alleged to have occurred, or

was not made in connection with a sexual assault offence or alleged sexual assault offence or any condition arising from a sexual assault offence or alleged sexual assault offence.

For the purposes of this section, a communication may be made in confidence even if it is made in the presence of a third party if the third party is present to facilitate communication or to otherwise further the counselling process.

In this section—

made in confidence by a person (the counselled person) to another person (the counsellor) who is counselling the person in relation to any harm the person may have suffered, or

made in confidence to or about the counselled person by the counsellor in the course of that counselling, or

made in confidence about the counselled person by a counsellor or a parent, carer or other supportive person who is present to facilitate communication between the counselled person and the counsellor or to otherwise further the counselling process, or

made in confidence by or to the counsellor, by or to another counsellor or by or to a person who is counselling, or has at any time counselled, the person.

For the purposes of this section, a person counsels another person if—

the person has undertaken training or study or has experience that is relevant to the process of counselling persons who have suffered harm, and

the person—

listens to and gives verbal or other support or encouragement to the other person, or

advises, gives therapy to or treats the other person,