Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senators, with respect to the document that was tabled about the ABC, I'd like to make a brief statement. In that package of documents is a letter to me from the Chair of the ABC, which is included with the letter from the government. I will be writing to the Chair of the ABC, because the letter, as you will see if you read it, asks me to exercise a power or consider the exercise of a power I do not have, and that is the non-public tabling of a document. I don't know how that came about. My office was not consulted. The order for the production of documents was directed at the government, but a document was forwarded to me requesting that I table it in confidence, and I don't have that power. So I will be writing to the Chair of the ABC to explain that. But I don't have any role in the tabling of a document in response to the order for production of documents. I wanted to put that on the record given the letter does contain that request of me as President.