http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/10/24/1098556293557.html?oneclick=true
John Silvester
"A US-style special prosecutor and unprecedented police powers will be used to attack organised crime in Victoria, but civil liberties groups claim the proposal is dangerously flawed.
The new officer, with the title chief examiner, will have coercive powers and can demand answers from organised crime suspects. Self-incrimination will no longer be accepted as a reason for not answering questions.
As part of the new laws in the Major Crime (Investigative Powers) Act now before State Parliament the chief examiner will have the power to call suspects to secret interrogations.
Police Minister Andre Haermeyer said unco-operative witnesses could be jailed indefinitely for contempt until they agree to talk. 'In effect, they can be held until they provide answers,' he said.
Under the new laws, organised crime suspects who refuse to take the oath, avoid questions or miss hearing appointments can be jailed for up to five years.
Anyone who reports or publishes material from the hearings also faces a five-year jail term.
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The bill states: 'The chief examiner is not bound by the rules of evidence in conducting an examination and may regulate the conduct of the proceedings as he or she thinks fit.'"
