Parliamentary Procedure

Estimates Replies

The SPEAKER (14:10): Earlier to today in the house, the member for Bragg raised a matter concerning the processing of answers to questions asked in the 2016 estimates hearings. The member for Bragg noted that the Attorney-General had provided answers to the parliament on 20 December 2016 but that the answers to those questions are yet to be tabled. The member for Bragg has indicated that she has now been provided with copies of those answers.

Instructions sent out about answers to questions taken on notice during the 2016 estimates directed that all estimates answers were to be sent to the repliestoestimates@parliament.sa.gov.au mailbox by Friday 28 October 2016. The 2016 estimates answers received on or before this date from the mailbox were published during the sitting weeks commencing on 1 and 15 November 2016. The same instructions directed that estimates answers received after 28 October 2016 would be tabled as answers to questions on notice.

In the normal course of business, answers to questions on notice are directed to the HAQuestionsonNotice@parliament.sa.gov.au mailbox. Estimates answers sent by the Attorney-General, which included some asked by the member for Bragg, were sent to the repliestoestimates@parliament.sa.gov.au mailbox on 20 December 2016 instead of the HAQuestionsonNotice@parliament.sa.gov.au mailbox.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Do I hear interjections of, 'Resign!'? No? As a consequence of the answers being directed to the incorrect mailbox, they were not processed in the usual manner. This matter came to light upon an inquiry from the member for Bragg on 26 July 2017 during the 2017 estimates hearings. The matter was subsequently investigated, and the estimates answers were discovered in the repliestoestimates@parliament.sa.gov.au mailbox, where the matter was rectified.

Subsequently, the responses will be tabled at the earliest opportunity, with the member for Bragg having received the responses as soon as the oversight was identified. The majority of responses to estimates questions on notice received after the response deadline of 28 October 2016 have been processed through the HOA questions without notice process and tabled in the house. It is envisaged that a review of the estimates answers process will be undertaken to prevent a similar occurrence from happening in future, so do not feel the need to resign.

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:13): Point of clarification, Mr Speaker: thank you, Mr Speaker, for identifying that it is the Attorney's fault and not the parliament's, and I appreciate that. Can I be assured that some inquiry is being made as to whether any other outstanding estimates questions might be languishing in redundant boxes?

The SPEAKER: The Clerk tells me there is a forensic examination of the same.