Mrs HICKEY - 1996-11-27
Yesterday, the Chief Minister tabled the confidential advice to the Northern Territory Commissioner of Police from the Director of Public Prosecutions relating to the investigation of unauthorised use of electoral information. Will the Chief Minister now table the Northern Territory police report into this matter?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I welcome the question from the Leader of the Opposition. Let me say, as I have said in the media, that I have not seen the police file, nor do I seek to see it.
Mr Stirling: He does not want to.
Mr STONE: The member for Nhulunbuy cannot help himself. We are counting these interjections. You made up to 72 interjections yesterday, but you were beaten by the member for Wanguri.
I have not seen the police file, nor do I seek to see it. The letter of advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions was released to me with the consent of the Commissioner of Police and the Director of Public Prosecutions. He had the opportunity to examine the file which contained some 47 records of interview. Do I assume that the Leader of the Opposition wants to see those records of interview? She wants that too. This is absolutely remarkable. These are the people who have opposed government ministers having access to files and information on people.
We are talking about records of interview where no offence has been disclosed. I ask the Leader of the Opposition why she wants the 47 records of interview. The answer is so that she can rake over them and drag the names of these people, who have been found to have done no wrong, into the public arena. She will do that in this coward's castle under parliamentary privilege. The opposition wants a police file. Let me tell the Leader of the Opposition and Territorians listening that, in my time as Minister for Police, I have never seen a single police file. There is good reason for that. It means that politicians are not hands-on when it comes to police investigations.
The Leader of the Opposition can have a briefing, as I had a briefing, provided the Commissioner of Police is prepared to brief her after her last disgraceful performance when she ran out of the room and said he had said things that he had not said. That is the best she will get, and there is a very good reason for that. I am sure Territorians listening to the broadcast will be pleased to know that politicians do not have access to the police files. I have not seen the accompanying documentation that was prepared by Assistant Commissioner Valentin, nor should I. The Director of Public Prosecutions is an independent officer. We hear a great deal from members opposite about independence, and yet they will not accept the umpire's decision. They will not accept that the independent Director of Public Prosecutions found there had been no breach of Territory law.
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Let me tell the Leader of the Opposition that she will not get her grubby little hands on any police file. No Minister for Police should ever be able to access a police file. A minister is entitled to briefings, the bare facts and to be told the outcome of an investigation and whether or not prosecutions are likely. The very notion that the Leader of the Opposition should be able to tuck under her arm a police file with all the records of interview and all the inquiries, particularly when this involves innocent people, is absolutely disgraceful. She does not live by the standards that she tries to set for others.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I welcome the question from the Leader of the Opposition. Let me say, as I have said in the media, that I have not seen the police file, nor do I seek to see it.
Mr Stirling: He does not want to.
Mr STONE: The member for Nhulunbuy cannot help himself. We are counting these interjections. You made up to 72 interjections yesterday, but you were beaten by the member for Wanguri.
I have not seen the police file, nor do I seek to see it. The letter of advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions was released to me with the consent of the Commissioner of Police and the Director of Public Prosecutions. He had the opportunity to examine the file which contained some 47 records of interview. Do I assume that the Leader of the Opposition wants to see those records of interview? She wants that too. This is absolutely remarkable. These are the people who have opposed government ministers having access to files and information on people.
We are talking about records of interview where no offence has been disclosed. I ask the Leader of the Opposition why she wants the 47 records of interview. The answer is so that she can rake over them and drag the names of these people, who have been found to have done no wrong, into the public arena. She will do that in this coward's castle under parliamentary privilege. The opposition wants a police file. Let me tell the Leader of the Opposition and Territorians listening that, in my time as Minister for Police, I have never seen a single police file. There is good reason for that. It means that politicians are not hands-on when it comes to police investigations.
The Leader of the Opposition can have a briefing, as I had a briefing, provided the Commissioner of Police is prepared to brief her after her last disgraceful performance when she ran out of the room and said he had said things that he had not said. That is the best she will get, and there is a very good reason for that. I am sure Territorians listening to the broadcast will be pleased to know that politicians do not have access to the police files. I have not seen the accompanying documentation that was prepared by Assistant Commissioner Valentin, nor should I. The Director of Public Prosecutions is an independent officer. We hear a great deal from members opposite about independence, and yet they will not accept the umpire's decision. They will not accept that the independent Director of Public Prosecutions found there had been no breach of Territory law.
Page 1829
Let me tell the Leader of the Opposition that she will not get her grubby little hands on any police file. No Minister for Police should ever be able to access a police file. A minister is entitled to briefings, the bare facts and to be told the outcome of an investigation and whether or not prosecutions are likely. The very notion that the Leader of the Opposition should be able to tuck under her arm a police file with all the records of interview and all the inquiries, particularly when this involves innocent people, is absolutely disgraceful. She does not live by the standards that she tries to set for others.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016