Coercive powers

How coercive powers works in practice.

Many Victorian and national regulators have coercive powers: statutory powers to compel a person to provide information, produce documents, or attend and answer questions at an examination. These powers differ from a police interview, where the right to silence generally applies. Under a coercive power a person may be legally required to answer, and refusing to do so without a reasonable excuse can itself be an offence. Protections sometimes apply to how compelled answers can later be used against the person, but those protections vary between regulators and need to be understood before an examination. Because what is said and produced becomes part of the investigation, advice should be obtained before attending.