Giving Evidence at a Public Hearing

At times, the Education and Training Committee may contact a key stakeholder and invite them to appear at a public hearing. At other times, interested individuals and representatives may contact the Committee's office to request to appear at a public hearing.
The following provides information about what to expect if you are appearing before the Education and Training Committee at a public hearing.

Preparing for the Public Hearing
be relevant. Ensure that the subject matter, observations or opinions that you wish to bring to the attention of the Committee directly address the terms of reference of the Inquiry.
prepare written notes. Many people find it useful to prepare written notes to ensure that their arguments and information are clear and precise.
written submission. If you wish, you can provide the Committee with written material to support the comments that you intend to make. If time permits, please send your submission to the Committee in advance to allow Committee members to read your submission and prepare for your appearance. Please refer to the website or request the Committee's Guide to Making a Submission for further information.
special needs. Please make the Committee staff aware of any equipment or other special needs you have well in advance of the hearing.

Presenting Evidence
arrival. On the day, make yourself known to Committee staff.
oath or affirmation. Witnesses appearing before Parliamentary Committees are rarely sworn in. You will be advised in advance of what to expect if it is necessary to do so.
tendering documents. Please provide supporting material to the Committee in advance of the hearing where possible. If bringing documentation on the day, please provide at least 10 copies (8 for the Committee, 1 for Hansard and 1 for Committee records).
short statement. At the commencement of your evidence, the Chair will ask you to state your name, position and organisation that you are representing. He will then invite you to make a short statement. This is normally 5 to 10 minutes unless indicated otherwise in the letter confirming your attendance.
to the point. Making a statement to the Committee enables you to emphasise key concerns or important themes that are outlined more fully in your written submission. Use your time effectively, be precise and be relevant.

Questions
After your opening statement, the Committee members may ask questions or discuss matters raised in your written submission (if you have made one) or in your presentation. If you are unable to answer some of the questions, indicate that you will provide the necessary information as soon as possible.
It is the Chair's responsibility to ensure that all questions put to witnesses are relevant to the Inquiry and that the information sought by those questions is necessary for the purpose of the Inquiry.
In general, anyone appearing before the Committee must answer all questions put, as fully and frankly as before a Court, Inquest, Royal Commission or Board of Inquiry. Any person giving false evidence may be declared guilty of contempt.
If you are asked to provide additional information, it is important that the relevant material be compiled and sent to the Committee as soon as possible.

Public Gallery
Anyone, including the media, is permitted to attend public hearings. Persons in the public gallery may not participate in the Committee's proceedings and they must leave the room on the instruction of the Chair whenever any part of the evidence of a witness is given in-camera (in confidence) or the Committee wishes to deliberate in private. Members of the public are permitted to attend all Public Hearings. The Committee asks that people in the gallery respect the rights of witnesses and the responsibilities of the Committee by keeping noise and movement to a minimum. Mobile telephones, cameras, tape-recorders and similar equipment are not permitted.

Transcript of Evidence
A transcript of your evidence will be made by Hansard staff. After your hearing, you will receive a copy of the Hansard transcript and will be given an opportunity to make alterations to correct any inaccuracies in reporting or printing, or to correct matters of fact which do not materially alter the sense of the answer.
Corrections must be made in the handwriting of the witness and returned within 10 days. The Committee may or may not accept the alterations. Corrected transcripts become a public document and will be tabled with the Committee's report.
Please note that only the Committee can publish copies of any submissions given or evidence tendered to it.

Parliamentary privilege
Under the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968, all witnesses who appear before Victorian Parliamentary Committees are protected by privilege. Nothing said in a public hearing can give rise to any course of action in law or be subject to any court proceedings. Written submissions to Parliamentary Committees are similarly protected by privilege.

Confidentiality
Sensitive evidence can, in special circumstances be presented confidentially (in-camera) to the Committee. Anyone who wishes to present confidential evidence must apply to the Committee. If the Committee approves the request, the public gallery will be cleared and the Committee will neither disclose nor publish any evidence presented in-camera.

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