Russell Broadbent (Monash, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On unauthorised disclosure: this is my report back to the House as chair. As Chair of the Standing Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests I rise to report back to the House on a significant matter that I raised earlier this week. In presenting a report from the committee on Tuesday relating to the member for Pearce's statement of registrable interests, I informed the House of an unauthorised disclosure of the report and the committee's private deliberations. As I noted on Tuesday, details of the committee's report and discussion of the committee's private deliberations appeared in an article on the Guardian website on Monday evening. The committee considered this matter yesterday and agreed that it is clear that this article is the result of an unauthorised disclosure in contravention of standing order 242(b).

In undertaking an initial investigation of the matter, the committee concluded that on this occasion the unauthorised disclosure is unlikely to have caused substantial interference to the work of the committee or the House such as to amount to a potential contempt under the Parliamentary Privileges Act. However, the committee considers the incident very unfortunate and disappointing, potentially damaging to the ongoing operations of the committee in the future. Each member of the committee and secretariat gave an assurance that they had not disclosed the contents of the committee's report or proceedings to any person not authorised to receive the information.

In light of this, the committee's view is that it will be difficult to determine with any certainty the source of the unauthorised disclosure. It is most regrettable that this serious breach of standards has occurred, particularly as the Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests is the committee responsible for investigating breaches of privilege and should, therefore, be setting an example for other committees. People who decide to leak confidential committee deliberations show a complete lack of respect for their colleagues, for committee work and for the parliament.

Those in the media who decide to use and publish leaked material likewise show their disrespect for the institution of parliament and the important principles which underpin its work. I want to make it very clear to journalists and their publishers that a potential contempt can be committed in the act of publishing material from parliamentary committees that has not been authorised for publication. This is serious. I will be writing to the journalist in question and the president of the Parliamentary Press Gallery accordingly.

I want to remind all those involved with parliamentary committee processes of the importance of observing the rules against unauthorised disclosure of committee proceedings, including draft reports. Unauthorised disclosures erode trust in the parliamentary process and have a clear adverse impact on our work as committee members and as parliamentarians. I thank the House.