Select Committees are investigative committees which proceed by taking evidence and look at particular policy areas and produce reports on particular topics, (similar to “Evidentiary Hearings” in the US). These are occasional events in which teams of students will hear evidence from an expert guest and undertake a “cross-examination” to explore the underlying issues involved. Students prepare their questions in advance and approach the witness from a number of different standpoints and concerns.
Previous expert witnesses have been drawn, for example, from the automotive industry, petrochemical industry , private developers and government advisory bodies.