❓ Question regarding the accuracy of Hansard records, specifically concerning alterations made to the Minister for Police's speech on a Criminal Law Amendment Bill, and the Speaker's response clarifies Hansard's policy on correcting errors and the options available to members who mislead the House.
AnsweredQoN 3833Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the Hansard record of the evening of Tuesday 10 March 2015, and in particular the Minister for Police's second reading response to the Criminal Law Amendment (Home Burglary and Other Offences) Bill 2014 , and ask: (a) does the audio visual recording of the proceedings record the Minister saying in the House: “We’ve already achieved the commitment from 2008 of 300 police officers and 200 police auxiliary officers...”; (b) were the figures 300 and 200 recorded in the first Hansard proof; (c) were those figures altered to 350 and 150 at the Minister's request; (d) was that change made by the Minister by altering the proof, altering the figures and personally requesting that Hansard make the change; (e) if there was such an alteration, was the alteration in accordance with Hansard’s policy, and please advise what Hansard’s policy is; (f) did Hansard make any other alterations of fact with respect to the Minister's second reading response that evening and if so will the Speaker detail them; (g) if members give wrong information in the House, and they request Hansard to correct the Hansard record by altering the actual figures that they used to the ones that they wished that they had used, is it the policy of Hansard to accede to such a request; (h) if a Member believes that they have misled the House and wants to correct the record what appropriate action should they take; and; and (i) will the Speaker be providing any counsel to Mrs Harvey with respect to this matter and if so what form will that take?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
26 March 2015
Response time
1 days
(a) Yes.
(b) Yes.
(c) Yes.
(d) All members are provided a duplicate copy of their speech for review. The Minister's reviewed copy was received into the Hansard Office on Wednesday, 11 March, 2015 and was processed for assessment by Hansard editorial staff.
(e) Reporting Services policies and procedures were applied in assessing and processing the correction. These include 'Reporting Services policy - Members' Corrections to Speeches' and section 4.7.2 'Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)' of the Members' Handbook. These are tabled for members' information.
(see tabled paper)
The correction was determined to be one that corrected an 'inadvertent error'. Such changes are permitted only when the detail involved can be independently verified. Research by Hansard editorial staff indicated that the commitment given after the 2008 election of 500 police officers, comprising 350 police officers and 150 police auxiliary officers, appears widely on the public record, including more than 25 references in Hansard, including by the current Minister for Police, as well as in media reports, press releases and in the 'Auditor General's Report on New Recruits in Western Australia Police', report 8, June 2012. A correction to an error in a member's speech is not accepted if attention is drawn to the error by another member of the House; on such occasions, the error stands to give context.
(f) An editorial change by Hansard in the publishing cycle changed "commitment made in 2013" to "commitment made in the 2013 election".
(g) See response to (e).
(h) and (i)
Members have a number of options available to them if they think they misled the House. Those options vary depending on the particular circumstances and it is not feasible to detail all the possibilities in this answer. Any member can consult the Speaker or the Clerk on these matters at any time and all those discussions will be, and remain, confidential.
(b) Yes.
(c) Yes.
(d) All members are provided a duplicate copy of their speech for review. The Minister's reviewed copy was received into the Hansard Office on Wednesday, 11 March, 2015 and was processed for assessment by Hansard editorial staff.
(e) Reporting Services policies and procedures were applied in assessing and processing the correction. These include 'Reporting Services policy - Members' Corrections to Speeches' and section 4.7.2 'Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)' of the Members' Handbook. These are tabled for members' information.
(see tabled paper)
The correction was determined to be one that corrected an 'inadvertent error'. Such changes are permitted only when the detail involved can be independently verified. Research by Hansard editorial staff indicated that the commitment given after the 2008 election of 500 police officers, comprising 350 police officers and 150 police auxiliary officers, appears widely on the public record, including more than 25 references in Hansard, including by the current Minister for Police, as well as in media reports, press releases and in the 'Auditor General's Report on New Recruits in Western Australia Police', report 8, June 2012. A correction to an error in a member's speech is not accepted if attention is drawn to the error by another member of the House; on such occasions, the error stands to give context.
(f) An editorial change by Hansard in the publishing cycle changed "commitment made in 2013" to "commitment made in the 2013 election".
(g) See response to (e).
(h) and (i)
Members have a number of options available to them if they think they misled the House. Those options vary depending on the particular circumstances and it is not feasible to detail all the possibilities in this answer. Any member can consult the Speaker or the Clerk on these matters at any time and all those discussions will be, and remain, confidential.
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