180  Witnesses in prison

When a witness is in prison, the person in charge of the prison may be ordered to bring the witness, in safe custody, to be examined, and the President may be ordered to issue a warrant accordingly.

Amendment history

Adopted: 19 August 1903 as SO 379 but renumbered as 375 for the first printed edition

1989 revision: Old SO 389 renumbered as SO 180; language simplified and expression considerably streamlined

Commentary

Unnecessary detail was omitted in the course of the 1989 revision. The original standing order provided for the witness to be escorted to give evidence on multiple occasions but was simplified in accordance with the time-honoured principle of interpretation, that words in the singular number include the plural, and vice versa.

Although the procedure set out in the standing order has not been used, Senate committees have taken evidence from prisoners or persons in custody.[1]