Contents
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Commencement
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Bills
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Motions
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Parliamentary Procedure
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Motions
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Matter of Privilege
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Ministerial Statement
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Parliamentary Committees
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Question Time
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Ministerial Statement
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Grievance Debate
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Bills
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Matter of Privilege
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Bills
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Matter of Privilege
Matter of Privilege
Mr RAU (Enfield) (14:00): I rise on a matter of privilege. Last week, the Minister for Police gave an undertaking to the house to table notes taken by his unnamed senior staffer at a southern suburbs forum. On Wednesday 9May, the Minister for Police informed the house, and I quote:
My staff member will have taken notes, and we have discussed those notes. Have I seen a handwritten copy of those notes? No, but I am happy to give those to the house, provide them to the house, as is needed or wanted.
The Minister for Police then reiterated this undertaking to the house, and I quote:
Yes, I am happy to look at those notes and return them to the house as deemed fit.
Having given a clear undertaking to the house yesterday when asked by me to table the documents, the Minister for Police gave the following reply, and I quote:
…he—
meaning me, the member for Enfield—
has every manner to go about receiving them and he knows how to do that through FOI, I think.
The Minister for Police further stated to the house, and I quote:
…it is right there for the member to apply for through the act…as he knows full well, unless he is being too lazy to do so.
Then, a further quote:
… he is free to apply for that as he sees fit. Don't be lazy. It's an FOI.
As I said earlier, that Minister for Police has an obligation and a duty to the house to act in good faith. He offered to provide material to the house and has now refused. I request you, Mr Speaker, to consider this as a matter of privilege.
The SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Enfield. What I will do on this occasion is ask the member for Enfield to please provide all relevant documents to me as soon as reasonably possible. I will defer my decision, and I will report back to the house at the first available opportunity and whether I consider the matter to be a prima facie form of a matter of privilege.