Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee
21 September 2026
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Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee Australian Parliament
12:37 - 15:43
Speaker 7
I declare open this public hearing of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee inquiry into the Crimes Amendment (Prohibiting the Strip Searching of Children) Bill 2023. I begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet today and pay our respects to their elders past and present, and I extend that respect to all the countries in which we have witnesses joining us today and also those joining us from Canberra as well. The committee will be conducting today's hearing in person and via video conference. These are public proceedings, being video-streamed live via the Parliament's website, and a Hansard transcript is also being made. I remind witnesses that in giving evidence to the committee, they are protected by parliamentary privilege.
It is unlawful for anyone to threaten or disadvantage a witness on account of evidence given to a committee, and such action may be treated by the Senate as a contempt. It is also a contempt to give false or misleading evidence to a committee. The committee prefers evidence to be given in public, but under the Senate's resolutions, witnesses have the right to request to be heard in confidence, described as being heard in camera. If you are a witness today and intend to request to give evidence in camera, please bring it to the attention of the secretariat as soon as you are able to. If a witness objects to answering a question, the witness should state the ground upon which the objection is taken, and the committee will determine whether it will insist on an answer.
Good morning. I'm just reading out the long opening statement before we get to, before we go around the room and get people to introduce themselves. Where was I? The witness should state the ground upon which the objection is taken, and the committee will determine whether it will insist on an answer, having regard to the ground on which it was claimed. If the committee determines to insist on an answer, the witness may request that an answer be given in camera.
Such a request may also be made at any other time too. I remind senators of their obligations under the behavior code for Australian parliamentarians to treat witnesses with dignity, courtesy, fairness, and respect. I remind committee members and witnesses who are appearing via video conference and who are not speaking to please mute their microphones, and probably more often than not people forget to unmute themselves when they're ready to talk. A witness speaking for the first time should state their full name and the capacity in which they appear, and witnesses should speak clearly into the microphones to assist Hansard with the proceedings today. I have also been advised that representatives of the media have requested permission to film and to take photos of the committee's proceedings, and if the committee is agreeable to this, we will consent for the media to be in the room.
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