Points of Order — Election Advertising—Auditor-General’s Report

I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. You will, of course, be aware that there is a great deal of public interest in the impending report of the Auditor-General and your own response to that report. Can you confirm, Madam Speaker, that it is your intention at this stage to table both of those reports in the House at the appropriate time for the tabling of papers after 2 p.m. on Thursday?

💬 Madam SPEAKER: Yes, Mr Brownlee, I can confirm that.

I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. I wonder whether National members could ask you to reconsider that matter. If you were to persist with that particular course of action, then of course Parliament itself would not be able to express any opinion on those reports until Tuesday of next week, allowing some 5 days to pass in which there could be any amount of consideration by the media, by any other commentators, and, in fact, by individual parties as well, to get their particular point across. This is an issue that reflects upon the integrity of the entire Parliament, not just one or two political parties. I think it would be appropriate if Parliament itself could choose to have an expression of views on those reports much sooner than that date.

I note that tomorrow is a members’ day—a day on which Parliament is in charge of its own time, if one likes—and it seems to me that it would be most appropriate in this week if those reports could be released tomorrow, well ahead of time, in order that such a debate might be facilitated tomorrow afternoon. We note, Madam Speaker, that the information we have received—and you may wish to correct me on this—is that you have had some weeks to consider your response to the report. Therefore, we feel that by Parliament being prevented this week from having a view on it, the integrity of Parliament is left hanging for an entire 5 days. Then, of course, it becomes a matter of whether you would consider it to be of such importance, after such a period of time, for Parliament even to have that debate. You may wish to give us some guidance and consider the request we have made for that early release tomorrow.

Clearly, the report and the response are matters of some considerable significance. Therefore, it might be helpful to members if they had some 5 days before making a formal response, instead of, as implied by Mr Brownlee’s argument, responding before they have read the report very carefully. Indeed, the Government itself will have to consider its response to those reports in case there is any need for remedial action.

💬 Gerry Brownlee: Point of order—

The member did speak at great length to his point of order.

💬 Gerry Brownlee: But I think it is reasonable to say that we did ask for it to be released in time for that to be done—

I understood, and I thank the member for his very full point of order and his statement of his concerns. I assure him that I did not receive the final report until Thursday evening, and I received the direction on Friday. As the member also is aware, the Auditor-General issued an advisory that he and the Speaker had mutually agreed that both reports will be tabled on Thursday.