John Hogg (President) Share this | Hansard source

Order! I speak on a matter of privilege. The Senate Rural Affairs and Transport References Committee, by letter dated 1 August 2011, has raised a matter of privilege under standing order 81.

The matter relates to a possible improper interference with, and imposition of a penalty upon, a witness. Evidence available to the committee indicates that an attempt may have been made by a person improperly to penalise a witness before the committee in respect of the witness's evidence and also to influence a witness in respect of the witness's evidence.

I am required by the procedures of the Senate to consider whether a motion to refer the matter to the Privileges Committee should have precedence, having regard to specific criteria. The manner in which those criteria are applied has been indicated in past presidential determinations under standing order 81.

The matter clearly meets the criteria I am required to consider. The Senate has always taken extremely seriously any suggestion that a witness before a committee has been interfered with in any way, as past cases considered by the Senate and the Privileges Committee indicate.

I therefore determine that a motion to refer the matter to the Privileges Committee may have precedence.

I table the correspondence from the committee.

A notice of motion to refer the matter to the Privileges Committee may now be given.