❓ Hon Michael Mischin questions the Attorney General regarding the release of correspondence related to the Standing Committee on Procedure and Privileges' inquiry to the media. The Attorney General admits his chief of staff shared an invitation with media colleagues.
AnsweredQoN 1080Legislative Council
Asked
25 September 2019
Member
Portfolio
Leader of the House representing the Attorney General
QuestionView source ↗
STANDING COMMITTEE ON
PROCEDURE AND PRIVILEGES — FIFTY-FIFTH REPORT —ATTORNEY GENERAL
1080. Hon MICHAEL MISCHIN to the Leader of the House
representing the Attorney General:
I refer to the Standing Committee on
Procedure and Privileges' inquiry into the potential contempt of
Parliament by Department of the Premier and Cabinet Director General Foster and
Acting Director General Roper, and the committee's fifty-fifth and
fifty-sixth reports.
(1) Has the Attorney General provided to any member of
the media a copy of correspondence passing between the President or the
Clerk of the house and the State Solicitor's Office pertaining to those
matters?
(2) If yes to
(1), will the Attorney General identify each item of correspondence provided,
and when and to whom it was provided, and the purpose for which it was
provided?
(3) Has the
Attorney General's chief of staff provided to any member of the media a
copy of correspondence passing between the
President or the Clerk of the house and the State Solicitor's Office
pertaining to those matters?
(4) If yes to
(3), will the Attorney General identify each item of correspondence provided,
and when and to whom it was provided, and the purpose for which it was
provided?
PROCEDURE AND PRIVILEGES — FIFTY-FIFTH REPORT —ATTORNEY GENERAL
1080. Hon MICHAEL MISCHIN to the Leader of the House
representing the Attorney General:
I refer to the Standing Committee on
Procedure and Privileges' inquiry into the potential contempt of
Parliament by Department of the Premier and Cabinet Director General Foster and
Acting Director General Roper, and the committee's fifty-fifth and
fifty-sixth reports.
(1) Has the Attorney General provided to any member of
the media a copy of correspondence passing between the President or the
Clerk of the house and the State Solicitor's Office pertaining to those
matters?
(2) If yes to
(1), will the Attorney General identify each item of correspondence provided,
and when and to whom it was provided, and the purpose for which it was
provided?
(3) Has the
Attorney General's chief of staff provided to any member of the media a
copy of correspondence passing between the
President or the Clerk of the house and the State Solicitor's Office
pertaining to those matters?
(4) If yes to
(3), will the Attorney General identify each item of correspondence provided,
and when and to whom it was provided, and the purpose for which it was
provided?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1)–(4) As
the Attorney General has already informed the house, he has not provided any
correspondence to the media that has not been tabled in a report from the
Standing Committee on Procedure and Privileges. His chief of staff shared a copy
of an invitation to her from the President of the house with some of her former
colleagues in the media. The letter was not marked ''confidential''.
The Attorney General believes it is important to keep the public informed via
the media of matters of significant public interest. He notes that the
committee also considered the correspondence included in its reports was of
sufficient public importance to be tabled publicly.
Several members
interjected.
The PRESIDENT :
Order! Hon Tim Clifford has the call.
some notice of the question.
(1)–(4) As
the Attorney General has already informed the house, he has not provided any
correspondence to the media that has not been tabled in a report from the
Standing Committee on Procedure and Privileges. His chief of staff shared a copy
of an invitation to her from the President of the house with some of her former
colleagues in the media. The letter was not marked ''confidential''.
The Attorney General believes it is important to keep the public informed via
the media of matters of significant public interest. He notes that the
committee also considered the correspondence included in its reports was of
sufficient public importance to be tabled publicly.
Several members
interjected.
The PRESIDENT :
Order! Hon Tim Clifford has the call.
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