Points of Order — Personal Explanations

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. At the beginning of the session today, I raised with you a matter that you said you were going to look at.

💬 Mr SPEAKER: I have already been doing some work on the matter.

Thank you, but I want to bring you further developments, because I regard this matter as very unparliamentary. Members of Parliament appointed to select committees are appointed by this House, not by themselves, or by the parties. I now discover that the member of Parliament concerned, Mr Ewen-Street, is putting out press statements saying that he has withdrawn from an inquiry. He is quite prepared to brief members of the press gallery, but is not prepared to come to this House to account for his actions. From what I read here, it appears that he has been sitting on an inquiry and has had an improper relationship with one of the lawyers to the inquiry—I understand the media is calling it a “sex for questions” scandal—yet he is not prepared to come to this House to explain—[Interruption] If the member thinks it is appropriate to resign today, how long has this situation existed? Has he been asking questions as an MP, or has he been asking them on behalf of someone else? Has he compromised the whole inquiry? Why is he not prepared to account for his actions in this House, rather than doing so around the press gallery?

💬 Mr SPEAKER: I have taken note of what the member said, and I am looking at this particular matter—as I promised him earlier I would.