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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-11-06 Daily Xml
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Parliamentary Procedure

Speaker's Ruling

The SPEAKER (17:25): Today, there was a point of order regarding a document used in debate. The member for West Torrens raised a point of order concerning the Minister for Industry and Skills allegedly quoting from Construction Industry Training Board papers and the need for those papers to be tabled. I can advise the house that the Deputy Speaker advised that he would be referring the point of order to the Speaker for his consideration.

I have had the opportunity to read the Hansard as well as watch the footage and to speak to the minister about the nature of the document allegedly quoted from. The minister advised me that the information he was referring to formed part of his notes. I refer to Blackmore, Practice of the House of Assembly, 1885, page 322, and quote:

It is obviously right that the House should have access to the same sources of information as a Minister, if the latter makes statements, or bases arguments, or asks the House to accept conclusions, founded upon public papers which he quotes. But the rule applies to public documents only, not to private letters, or even memoranda. A memoranda made by a Minister, or by anyone else for the use of a Minister, with a view of furnishing information to be communicated to the House is not treated as a public document whose production can be enforced.

I am satisfied with the minister's explanation that the information he was referring to formed part of his notes with a view of furnishing information to the house. To that end, there is no requirement on the minister to table his notes.

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