Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

PRESIDENT (): I table a memorandum of understanding between the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Attorney-General, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Speaker, the Attorney-General, the Commissioner of the National Anti-Corruption Commission and I have signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the exercise of the commission's investigative powers where parliamentary privilege may be involved. The purpose of this MOU is to agree to processes that will be followed when the commission exercises its statutory powers in circumstances where issues of parliamentary privilege could arise. These agreed processes are designed to ensure that parliamentary privilege is respected while permissible action by the commission to detect and investigate corrupt conduct is not inhibited.

I'd like to acknowledge the work of the Speaker and members of our MOU working party, including Senator Brockman and Senator Ghosh, the Commissioner of the National Anti-Corruption Commission and Mr Rae and Mr Leeser in the other place, in negotiating this agreement. I thank the clerks in this house and in the other place for working hard to get an agreement. I can indicate to senators that the Speaker and I will be writing to all parliamentarians and providing you with copies of the MOU.