Home›Questions on Notice›QoN 2458

❓ Question regarding the Attorney General's refusal to disclose the State Solicitor's Office procedure for identifying and removing documents potentially subject to parliamentary privilege, including staff involved and instructions issued.

⏳ Awaiting AnswerQoN 2458Legislative Council

Asked

5 September 2019

Member

Hon Michael Mischin

Portfolio

Attorney General

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to the Attorney General's refusal to disclose to Parliament the procedure followed by the State Solicitor's Office, on behalf of the Government, to identify and remove from documents provided to it those that 'may' be the subject of parliamentary privilege, and to identify the officers and staff who had access to those documents and made those decisions, and ask: (a) how many, and what categories of staff, of the State Solicitor's Office were engaged in perusing Members' emails and documents and making the necessary decisions; (b) why will the Attorney General not satisfy Parliament of the integrity of the process involved and the preservation of the parliamentary privilege by revealing the instructions issued to staff and the process by which documents have been identified; (c) is the Attorney General's claim that advice to Parliament that the method by which the governments' officers have undertaken that process is subject to legal professional privilege supported by legal advice to that effect and, if so, from whom and when was it sought and obtained; and (d) if it is the case that the objective information as to process is subject to legal professional privilege, why will the Attorney General not, in the interests of transparency and accountability, waive privilege to the extent necessary to reassure the Parliament?