Points of Order

Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for Climate Change Issues) Link to this

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I raise a specific issue in respect of the leave that was sought to table documents in question time yesterday. Yesterday the House granted leave for the tabling of a statement by the Australian Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong, containing a summary of the changes put forward by the Liberal Opposition and a critique by the Labor Government of the changes. My issue is that the document that was tabled was no more than a very short Sky News web page that did not contain any of the information that the House granted leave to be tabled. I seek your advice on, firstly, the status of a document that has been tabled and put on the record of the House, but which is not what the House granted leave to table; and, secondly, the actions that are available to the House in respect of the member who was given leave to table the document that was not tabled.

Mr SPEAKER Link to this

I thank the honourable member for raising a serious point of order. I think the best thing I can do is to undertake to investigate the matter. Obviously, I do not know the facts of the matter without investigating it. I will investigate the matter and come back to the honourable member, and from that point on he can decide whether he is satisfied with what I find from the investigation. I accept that it is a serious and important matter that where the House gives leave for the tabling of a specific document, that document is what is tabled.

Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Labour—Waimakariri) Link to this

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Just on that point, could I ask that in your ruling you also consider the consequences in situations where documents are tabled as official documents by Ministers. There have been occasions—I can provide you with examples for your deliberation—where the document was a blank sheet of paper, for instance, with simply bullet points on it and no reference to a department or a Government agency, and where it could be seen as, perhaps, speech notes or whatever. What is the status of such a document if it is characterised as an official document? I ask that you make that issue a part of your deliberations.

Mr SPEAKER Link to this

Obviously, in order to investigate a particular issue I will need to be given a particular case to investigate. If the honourable member wishes to provide an example of where that has happened, I am happy to investigate that situation, too.