No publication or disclosure of information about covert search warrants
27Y No publication or disclosure of information about covert search warrants
(1) A person must not publish any confidential information in relation to a covert search warrant except in accordance with the approval of the Supreme Court.
Maximum penalty: Imprisonment for 5 years.
(2) If, in any legal proceeding an issue arises relating to the disclosure of confidential information and apart from this section a person would be entitled to require another person to disclose the information, the court may excuse the person from the requirement to disclose if satisfied:
(a) disclosure would prejudice the prevention, investigation or prosecution of a terrorist act or suspected terrorist act; and
(b) the public interest in preserving secrecy or confidentiality outweighs the public interest in disclosure.
In this section:
confidential information, in relation to a covert search warrant, means any information about or derived from:
(a) an application for the warrant or proceeding on the application; or
a report given under section 27U.
disclose, includes disclosure, whether by order, subpoena or otherwise, by the:
inspection, production or discovery of documents; and
giving of evidence; and
answering of interrogatories; and
provision of particulars.
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