Matter of Privilege

Matter of Privilege, Speaker's Statement

The SPEAKER (15:47): I rise on a matter of privilege regarding the Premier tabling the Murray-Darling Basin Royal Commission Report. I refer to the matter of privilege raised in the house yesterday by the member for West Torrens. The member for West Torrens alleges that the Premier had wilfully and deliberately misled the house in that the Premier advised the house that, 'We tabled those documents,' referring to the Murray-Darling Basin Royal Commission Report and Australian Productivity Commission report, when in fact the two reports have not been tabled in the house.

Prior to raising the matter, the member for West Torrens sought a point of clarification as to whether the Murray-Darling Basin Royal Commission Report and Australian Productivity Commission report had been tabled. At the time of the point of clarification, the Premier told the house:

Can I just say that I do not know whether I said 'tabled' the report, but I have the motion in front of me that says 'notes the following report,' and that was the subject of the motion.

Following the Premier's comment, I quote the Acting Speaker's advice to the house at the time:

Member for West Torrens, for clarification, the report has not been tabled in the house.

I have had the opportunity to read the Hansard and, in the Chair's view, I believe the matter could not 'genuinely be regarded as tending to impede or obstruct the House in the discharge of its duties'. Accordingly, I do not propose to give the precedence which would enable any member to pursue this matter immediately as a matter of privilege. This decision, however, does not prevent the member for West Torrens or any other member, for that matter, from proceeding with a motion on the specific matter by giving notice in the normal way.