Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

By letter dated 11 July 2014, the chairs of the Senate Standing Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation and References Committees, Senators Heffernan and Sterle, have raised a matter of privilege under standing order 81. The matter of privilege concerns the possible imposition of a penalty by the taking of disciplinary action either on a witness before the Senate Standing Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee or on a person providing information to the committee in connection with its inquiry into aviation accident investigations, which reported in 2013, and in connection with questions asked at the 2013 budget estimates hearings. Apart from the last element, this is essentially the same matter of privilege raised by Senator Xenophon, in relation to which I made a statement and gave precedence on 10 July this year. For the same reasons given in relation to the matter raised by Senator Xenophon, I am also satisfied that this matter meets the criteria to which I am required to have regard. I have therefore determined that a motion to refer the matter to the Privileges Committee should have precedence over other business for the day on which it is given. Before I call either Senator Heffernan or Senator Sterle, I remind the Senate that this determination of precedence is not a judgement of the substantive issues or the merits of the matter beyond the threshold judgement that it is not of a trivial nature or unworthy of the attention of the Senate, it is necessary to take action to protect the Senate and senators against improper acts and that there is no satisfactory remedy for dealing with the matter other than the contempt jurisdiction. It is for the Senate to make a judgement whether this matter also merits referral to the Privileges Committee. I table the correspondence.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, and also on behalf of Senator Heffernan, give notice that on the next day of sitting we shall move:

That the following matter be referred to the Committee of Privileges for inquiry and report:

(1) In the context of an inquiry by the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee into aviation accident investigations and budget estimates hearings of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee in May 2013:

(a) whether disciplinary action was taken against either a witness before the committee or a person providing information to the committee; and

(b) if so, whether any contempt was committed in respect of those matters.

(2) That, for the purpose of providing further information to the Committee of Privileges, the Standing Committees on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport have access to the records of the committee in the previous parliament.