Points of Order — Finance and Expenditure Committee—Complaints Procedure

I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. I seek your advice. On 16 December last year I wrote to the chair of the Finance and Expenditure Committee, Mr Shane Jones, to complain about his attacks on a witness, Mr Ian Fraser, who had appeared before that committee. He had, as chairman, attacked Ian Fraser while chairing the meeting, then subsequently in the media.

Today was the first meeting of the Finance and Expenditure Committee since I wrote my letter to him. I had every expectation that the committee would consider my letter. We did not consider it. When I asked Mr Jones about this, he peremptorily closed the meeting, and when I asked him what had happened to my letter, he replied that he had ripped it up.

In the ordinary course of events I would write to him again to complain about his ripping up a letter from a member of Parliament to the chair of a committee, but I am afraid that his arrogance is such that he might rip that letter up, too. I ask you, Madam Speaker, for some advice on what a member of Parliament who is sitting on a select committee should do when he or she writes a letter to a chairman, in order to put a matter before the committee, and the chairman just rips it up without showing it to the committee.

That matter must be dealt with by the committee, as I am sure the member is aware. The Speaker, as the member will be fully aware, does not intervene until asked to do so by the committee itself. Matters must be considered again by the committee, so it all should be taken up at that point.

I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. Should I do that in writing to the chairman?

I am sure you do not need my guidance on that, Mr Hide. I will leave that to your own discretion.