Mr Peter Morris asked the Minister for Transport and Regional Development, upon notice, on 9 December 1996:

Will information and evidence gathered by the Commission of Inquiry into the Seaview Airlines disaster be available to other parties for use in civil and other proceedings; if not, why not.

Mr Sharp —The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:

The Commission of Inquiry was conducted under the Royal Commissions Act 1902 and produced a report of 980 pages detailing the information and evidence collected. The report has now been published. The Commission's records are under the control of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. They are subject to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 1983 and to normal discovery procedures as part of the litigation process. Some evidence and information collected by the Commission is subject to confidentiality orders made by the Commission.

I understand that the New South Wales State Coroner, Mr Derrick Hand, who is to hold an inquest under section 22 of the Coroners Act (NSW), has been provided a copy of the information and evidence gathered by the Commission of Inquiry, as was previously agreed by the Commissioner at the beginning of the Inquiry.