Privileges Committee – Privacy Commissioner and the Clerk of the House – 7 November 2013
By Hamish Cardwell
Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff and Clerk of the House of Representatives Mary Harris spoke before Parliament's
Privileges Committee in Wellington today.
The committee was originally called to hear submissions from those involved in the release of a journalist's emails and
phone and swipe card records to the Henry Inquiry after a leaked report into the GCSB was published in the Dominion
Post.
Clerk of the House Mary Harris
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Clerk of the House Mary Harris
Ms Harris said there needed to be simple parliamentary protocols around the release of information, with more discipline
around who owned the information held on Parliament's computer systems.
The same computer system held personal, ministerial and electorate information and there needed to be a way to separate
what was subject to the official information requests from other kinds of information.
The Ombudsman could be useful as an arbitrator, she said.
Office of the Clerk's submission: Fullevidencetext_1.pdf
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MP3 format or in OGG format.
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Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff
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Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff
Ms Shroff said the Privacy Act and the Official Information Act were established pieces of legislation which could act
as a useful guide for determining rules around the release of information of those working within the parliamentary
complex.
There was no need to reinvent the wheel, she said.
Over the years it had become possible to collect huge amounts of data and there had been a failure to recognise
information as an asset. These environmental changes had put put huge pressure on agencies and could lead to ad hoc
responses, she said.
The key thing was having a purpose for the information. You needed to know why you are collecting it, and people needed
be to kept in the loop otherwise they could get upset.
Ms Ms Shroff said she personally would preferred to see standing orders govern the release of information rather than
legislating through an act of parliament.
The Privacy Commissioner's submission: Fullevidencetext_2.pdf
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MP3 format or in OGG format.
Full audio of Ms Shroff's speaking before the Privileges Committee
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MP3 format or in OGG format.
Ms Shroff speaking to reporters after the hearing
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Privileges Chairperson Chris Finlayson speaking to reporters after the hearing
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ENDS