Page 1165 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 6 April 2016
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The Chief Police Officer replied:
There were ongoing releases of information throughout the latter half of last year that were disclosed during the evaluation.
I return to the questions that Mr Hanson has posed in his motion today. He asks when the information was leaked. I believe the Chief Police Officer has provided that information—as much as he is willing to. The Chief Minister has answered when he became aware of it.
I cite all of those elements of the transcript because the Chief Minister has provided an amendment that covers some of the points in Mr Hanson’s questions. I suspect Mr Hanson will focus on the questions in (a) to (d) in particular. I invite him to read the transcript of the Chief Police Officer’s press conference. I have highlighted what I consider to be the key excerpts that go to the questions that Mr Hanson has posed.
Did I answer them to the standard that Mr Hanson wants? He will reveal that for us shortly. I come back to the central point: whilst we may be interested in knowing that information, it is a different standard than is currently the practice. If we are going to change the practice, collectively we need to work together on what that will look like. We could leave here today and ask the Chief Police Officer to answer Mr Hanson’s questions. I can almost assure you—I cannot speak for the Chief Police Officer but I can almost guarantee—that the answers you would get are contained in this transcript.
Is that satisfactory? Members will make their own judgement on that. In terms of the motion that is before the Assembly today and the expectation we can have of the Chief Minister, we are probably at the point that we can get to. On that basis I will be supporting the amendment brought forward by the Chief Minister. I have had conversations on this matter with the Chief Minister. I have asked him to provide as much information as he can. We have gone back and forth on that to some extent. He has provided me with feedback based on advice to the Chief Minister about the boundaries of the information that can be provided.
As I say, on that basis I will be supporting the amendment put forward by the Chief Minister.
MS BURCH (Brindabella) (11.56): I will rise to make a short statement given that people have such interest in this matter. I am very mindful of the level of interest and the sensitivity around this matter.
I have before me, as others have, a media reports commentary and a concluded evaluation. In a letter from the Chief Police Officer dated 17 March this year he is very clear in saying that he has closed this matter; the matter is now finalised from the point of view of ACT Policing.
I want to state a few matters that I believe need to be on the public record. I recognise that the Chief Minister, the Attorney-General and the Chief Police Officer have been very clear in saying that this matter has not been about me. It has not been an investigation into me; it never has been.
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