CORRUPTION AND CRIME
COMMISSIONER — REAPPOINTMENT
429. Hon PETER COLLIER to
the Leader of the House representing the Attorney General:
My question without notice is asked
on behalf of Hon Michael Mischin, who is on urgent parliamentary business.
I refer to a report in The
Sunday Times of 10 May 2020 headed ''Email did not axe CCC chief'',
which refers to correspondence of the former
Parliamentary Inspector of the Corruption and Crime Commission, Hon Michael Murray.
(1) As to Mr
Murray's letter to the Joint Standing Committee on the Corruption and
Crime Commission dated 17 April 2020 —
(a) Who in the
Attorney General's office was responsible for passing it to The
Sunday Times, and how and when was it done?
(b) How did the
Attorney General obtain a copy of that letter, from whom and when?
(c) Was Mr Murray's
consent sought before the letter was passed on to the media; and, if so, how
and when; and, if not, why not?
(d) Will he now
table the letter; and, if not, why not?
(2) As to Mr Murray's email to Hon John McKechnie of
9 May 2020 —
(a) Who in the
Attorney General's office was responsible for passing it to The
Sunday Times, and how and when was it done?
(b) How did the
Attorney General obtain a copy of that email, from whom and when?
(c) Was Mr Murray's
consent sought before the email was passed on to the media; and, if so, how and
when; and, if not, why not?
(d) Will he now
table the email; and, if not, why not?
Hon SUE
ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) (a) The Attorney General passed
on the email via an email dated 8 May 2020.
(b) After media
claims published on 2 May 2020 that he, as Parliamentary Inspector of the
Corruption and Crime Commission, had been one of the ''third parties''
referred to in the Joint Standing Committee on the Corruption and Crime
Commission's media statement of 23 April, Mr Murray emailed Mr McKechnie
on 2 May, forwarding his email as parliamentary inspector to the Joint Standing
Committee on the Corruption and Crime Commission on 17 April. Mr McKechnie
subsequently emailed the Attorney General on the same date.
(c) As Mr Murray's
covering email to Mr McKechnie makes clear, Mr Murray was providing it to
counter contrary publicity.
(d) The emails
are tabled. The email from Mr Murray to the joint standing committee has been
partially redacted to remove private details about a personal health matter.
[See paper 3867.]
(2) (a)–(d) See answer to
(1).