Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question to you arises from a privileges report which was brought down in the Senate yesterday and which dealt with the raids with respect to the NBN that occurred during the election campaign on members' offices. While that report covers some of the ground that our own Standing Committee on Privileges and Members' Interests had also covered, it also dealt with whether or not there had been an improper interference with the parliament itself. It states in paragraph 3.37 that it had:

… the effect of interfering with the duties of a senator, and with the functions of the parliament more broadly, by undermining the operation of the national guideline and diminishing the protection that should be available to parliamentary material

Mr Speaker, while I appreciate that the report has only very recently been made available, I would ask you to reflect and report back to the House in the light of those issues that do have a bearing on the operation of this House and on what assurances might be sought from the Prime Minister, the government or government agencies to ensure that an improper interference with the parliament is not repeated.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I firstly thank the Manager of Opposition Business for his question and for drawing these matters to my attention. As he is aware, I have addressed this matter from the perspective of the member in this House earlier on in this parliament and he rightly points out that we established a process to deal with it. On the additional matters he has raised with me, I can assure him I will give very serious but also speedy consideration, and I will report back to the House at the earliest opportunity.