Photo: RNZ
ACT MP Simon Court has been referred to Parliament's powerful privileges committee after he publicly shared select committee information.
Speaking in Parliament this afternoon, Speaker Adrian Rurawhe said Environment Committee chair Eugenie Sage had sent him a letter saying Court had disclosed the committee's vote relating to the Natural and Built Environments Bill.
The letter said Court had argued it could be shared because it no longer related to business still before the committee, and the committee had not been able to resolve the matter itself.
However, Rurawhe said if there was doubt it was up to the MP who shared such details to check if they should do so.
He said the confidentiality requirements were relaxed in 2003 to allow members to disclose procedural decisions such as the appointment of advisers or decisions not to initiate an inquiry, but this did not cover the details Court had shared.
"Discussion and voting on substantive matters before the committee remain strictly confidential until the committee reports to the House. I do not consider that the matters disclosed by Mr Court are the sort of procedural decisions that the standing orders committee contemplated being able to be divulged before the committee reports to the House.
"It is essential that committees are able to consider matters freely and deliberate on them in strict confidence. They are obliged to inform the House of their findings first, therefore I find a question of privilege arises. The question stands referred to the privileges committee."
Court is the second MP to be referred to the committee in the past month after an investigation was launched into Education Minister Jan Tinetti's delay in correcting statements.
The committee considers and reports on questions of privilege relating to Parliament and MPs. Privileges are powers and immunities which ensure Parliament is independent of the Crown and the courts.
Tinetti in recent weeks told the committee the delay was an error she deeply regretted.