Page 2376 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 2 August 2017

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to standing order 242, seeking their views as to whether the matter raised by Mr Pettersson had substantially interfered with their inquiry. I also ask the committee to seek to discover the source of the alleged release of confidential proceedings.

The committee replied to me on 28 July, having considered the matter at a meeting on 5 July 2017. The committee did not resolve that there had been an unauthorised disclosure. That being the case, the committee did not move to consider whether the disclosure had a tendency to substantially interfere with the work of the committee or actually cause substantial interference.

Under the provisions of standing order 276 I must determine as soon as practicable whether or not the matter merits precedence over other business. If, in my opinion, the matter does deserve precedence I must inform the Assembly of that decision and the member who raised the matter may move a motion without notice and forthwith to refer the matter to a select committee appointed by the Assembly for that purpose.

If, in my opinion, the matter does not merit precedence I must inform the member in writing and may also inform the Assembly of that decision. I am not required to judge whether there has been a breach of privilege or a contempt of the Assembly. I can only judge whether the matter merits precedence. Having considered the matter, also the views of the committee and the advice received from the Clerk, I have concluded that the matter does merit precedence over other business.

Privileges—Select Committee

Proposed establishment

MR PETTERSSON (Yerrabi) (3.42), by leave: I move:

That:

(1) pursuant to standing order 276, a Select Committee on Privileges 2017 be established to examine whether there was an unauthorised disclosure of the private deliberations of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts;

(2) the Committee shall report back to the Assembly by the first sitting day in October 2017; and

(3) the Committee shall be composed of:

(a) one member nominated by the Government;

(b) one member nominated by the Opposition; and

to be notified to the Speaker within one hour of the passing of this motion.

The public accounts committee is currently undertaking an inquiry into the Auditor-General’s report Certain Land Development Agency acquisitions. On 23 June

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