Media Release Response to Enquiry from The Age/7.30 Regarding Note Printing Australia Limited and Securency International Pty Ltd

The Reserve Bank is committed to transparency on these matters with the community and the Parliament through the House of Representatives Economics Committee. In his Statement to the Committee on 24 August, the Governor said that the Bank was taking steps to seek the permission of the Court to allow the Bank to table a broad range of relevant documents. This work is progressing. It is important that the legal process is respected and that the release of any documents is done in a way that does not jeopardise the right of the accused to a fair trial.

The Bank has sought to deal appropriately with all the issues that have arisen. It has cooperated fully with the legal authorities, notifying them of the existence of relevant documents and providing documents when requested. There has been no attempt by the Bank to hide information from the authorities. Even if it were ultimately to be concluded, with the benefit of hindsight, that incorrect conclusions were drawn from the various investigations, the Bank and the NPA Board relied on the information available at the time and external legal advice. The Bank's executives acted in good faith and with integrity. It is completely without foundation to suggest otherwise.