Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee, , 8:13:04 to 8:15:22
Inquiry into whether statements by Defense officials regarding consent for social media clips were coordinated by the Secretaries Board.
Topics: National security, Public service staffing
Speakers: Hon Jane Hume, Andrew Walter, Speaker 46, Unknown Speaker
Uh so I think what those documents show is the draft that went to secretaries on the 25th. There was then some feedback that came from uh secretaries uh which resulted in some small changes and those small changes are reflected in the differences between the two documents.
>> They weren't substantive changes to the
original
>> Okay. So on the 4th of September, the defense secretary, sorry, the defense deputy secretary, Msilia Perkins, told a Senate committee that defense witnesses did not consent to their evidence being reposted on social media and that was 3 days before the board's submission was published. Was that statement by Miss Perkins coordinated by the board? >> No, Senator. So, did um did the department did PMNC see it or or or clear Miss Perkins?
>> No, Senator statement. >> No, Senator, we didn't.
>> Okay. So, who then advised defense that officials could withhold consent to the republication of public parliamentary
>> Uh, Senator Cameron Gifford, Deputy Secretary, Governance and Corporate, Prime Minister and Cabinet. I think that's a question best directed to the
without any reference to to the department or to anyone else on the secretary's board.
>> The the thing I would say Senator is obviously the secretary of the department of defense had the submission. It had been submitted. So the department of defense had the submission but otherwise we had no involvement in the uh the department's statements
>> but obviously it was a submission to a parliamentary inquiry and that inquiry hadn't had a chance to meet to consider the submission at that stage or to publish it. >> No. It wasn't in the public domain.
>> Correct. However, as I said, the secretary of defense had a copy of that submission. So, the Department of Defense had a copy of the submission because it was prepared for the secretary's board.
>> Okay. So, the committee chair on the Clark's advice rejected the proposition that officials can withhold consent to the republication of public evidence and the Senate then reaffirmed its authority over parliamentary proceedings. So, does the secretary's board accept those decisions of the Senate?