Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to raise a matter of privilege under standing order 51. This incident occurred a short time ago in my ministerial office, and I am raising this at the first available opportunity. The matter relates to an incident that occurred in my ministerial office during a drop-in session that I hold regularly to enable all members of parliament, regardless of political persuasion, to come and talk to me about infrastructure projects and community infrastructure projects. I hold that, as I said, for everyone across the chamber and I have done so for the past 2½ years. I want to be able to continue to do that. These sessions are offered as a courtesy, and they form part of the goodwill that I expect all members of this place have towards one another as we go about doing the various jobs that we have.

This afternoon, the member for Barker and a staff member attended my ministerial office as part of the drop-in session. They attended, and the member for Barker and the staff member came into our meeting room. The member for Barker tabled a letter. He wanted me to know about a project in his electorate. I started an interaction with him, but he left very quickly. I also had to go to the Federation Chamber. As he was leaving the office, my staff observed that he had been filming the interaction on a GoPro in my ministerial office, and I asked one of my staff to go around to the member for Barker's office to confirm this was the case. A member of my staff followed the member for Barker and his staff member into his office and saw that they were downloading a film on to a laptop. My member of staff said, 'Did you film that interaction with the minister?' The member of staff confirmed that it had been filmed and that filming had been undertaken in the ministerial corridor.

I consider this a significant breach of the rules. I consider it a significant breach of the way in which we conduct ourselves in this place and the respect I believe should be shown to each other and the respect I accord to members, particularly of the backbench, going about doing their jobs. As a result of the breach, the discourtesy that's been shown to me and my staff by the member for Barker, and the seriousness of the breach, I ask that you consider giving precedent to a motion referring these matters to the Standing Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests. I also seek leave to table the e-mail that goes out to all members advertising that I am holding the drop-in sessions.

Leave granted.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Minister of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, and I will consider her statement and the tabled material in the usual way. For the benefit of all members, it's important that I consider this material carefully and thoroughly. I reserve the matter for further consideration, and, once considered, I'll report back to the House as soon as possible. For the benefit of all members, standing order 51 provides the mechanism for the Speaker to consider a privilege matter raised when the House is sitting. The minister has done that at the first opportunity.