Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee [Part 2], , 35:37 to 40:00
Senator Hume questions the existence and status of a "leadership group" reported in the media, following an FOI request that returned no records of such a body within the cabinet structure.
Topics: Prime Minister and Cabinet, Freedom of information, Integrity
Speakers: Senator The Hon Jane Hume, Speaker 3, Unknown Speaker, Blair Exell
>> S. Thank you, chair. I I I want to ask some questions around an FOI that was submitted to PMNC um regarding the leadership meeting that occurred uh according to both the ABC and the AFR um around uh the Minister Burke's immigration policy. that >> The FOI request refused access to uh any documents that suggested that said that there were no records existed of a leadership group. It didn't have leadership group meetings, membership status, handling, no correspondence about Minister Burke's canceled national which is kind of inconsistent. What I want to understand is either there is a leadership group and it's a part of cabinet in which case there's meetings that should have been recorded or there's not a leadership group in which case I'm not entirely sure what the authority was that blocked a decision of cabinet going ahead. So according to the ABC uh broad strokes of the immigration package were agreed in cabinet but then and I'm quoting here the Labour leadership team thought it better to hold off. The next day the AFR reported that cabinet signed off on the package but the leadership group helmed by the acting prime minister Richard Miles kaibosed it. So I suppose can I ask you this body that is reported to in the media from in both the AFR and the ABC this leadership group can you confirm that it exists and whether it's a
>> Senator as I understand your question your the basis of the question is on media reporting about the existence of a leadership group and whether or not it then forms a a part of cabinet or one of its subcommittees. Perhaps the more useful way I can answer that for you senator is to say that at the moment there is a cabinet, there is a national security committee of cabinet, there's a parliamentary business committee of cabinet. Um but there is not a leadership group referred to in that way as reported by the ABC. I think you were quoting
>> ABC and the financial review
>> and the financial review if that's also the the source of the reporting.
>> So there's no such thing as a leadership
>> That's that's connected to cabinet. >> that is connected to cabinet that
>> that is connected to cabinet. Okay. If it's not connected to cabinet, um does the office of prime minister and cabinet have anything to do with the leadership
>> To the extent that our FOI request returned no documents, then that should indicate to you that there is no support being provided by the department of prime minister and cabinet to something called the leadership group.
>> Okay. So prime minister and cabinet then have given no formal advice not informal on to that group or that and and the group has no status under the cabinet >> Is that correct?
>> Correct Senator.
the report is that a leadership group overrode a decision of cabinet. What do you understand the decision of cabinet to have been?
You might be shocked at my answer, Senator, that unfortunately I won't be able to divulge the deliberations of
There are cabinet briefs and they're prepared for the prime minister, the acting prime minister, whoever it might be on the now announced immigration policy. Can you tell me what dates those documents were prepared or submitted to