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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-07-31 Daily Xml
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Private Email Accounts

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (15:35): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Health and Wellbeing, regarding official correspondence.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: In the esteemed journal of record, the Advertiser's online news service, it's been reported that a spokeswoman for the minister stated that 'a few' work-related emails had been received by the minister on his personal email account. The 2014 ICAC annual report says about the use of private email to communicate official information that:

Such conduct might, at the least, amount to misconduct in public administration and be the subject of investigation and potential disciplinary action…The conduct therefore might also amount to an offence against section 17 of the SR Act. An offence against that section by a public officer while acting in his or her capacity as a public officer would amount to corruption in public administration under the ICAC Act.

My questions to the minister are: exactly how many work emails have been received on his private email account, on what I understand to be a private email server, that the spokesperson for the minister refers to as 'a few'? Has the minister ever sent official, work-related emails, in his capacity as minister, from his private email address that he apparently receives emails to? Has any member of the minister's staff ever sent the minister an email on his private address?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:37): I do not use a private email account for ministerial or parliamentary business. I don't know how many have come in on that account, but it's very few. They are automatically sent to my parliamentary account, and of course they are subject to the Freedom of Information Act. In terms of members of my staff sending any emails to that address, I certainly am not aware of any.

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