12. Official Information Act—Compliance Public Media Ministerial Advisory GroupMELISSA LEE (National) to the Associate Minister of State Services (Open Government)Official Information Act—Compliance Public Media Ministerial Advisory Group12. MELISSA LEE (National) to the Associate Minister of State Services (Open Government): Has she provided any guidance to State agencies and Government bodies about best practice to achieve open and transparent Government?Hon CLARE CURRAN (Associate Minister of State Services (Open Government)): No and that's because the State Services Commissioner provides leadership to the State services on these matters. Melissa Lee: How concerned would she be if she were to learn that a Government-appointed body had decided not to minute their meetings because those minutes could be subject to the Official Information Act? Hon CLARE CURRAN: Well the State Services Commissioner provides as I said leadership to the State services. Some examples of that: guidance is provided on the Official Information Act (OIA) to increase public access to information there is guidance on providing free and frank advice—Melissa Lee: Point of order.SPEAKER: No the member will resume her seat. There can't be a point of order yet.Hon CLARE CURRAN: —and codes of conduct for staff in ministerial offices as well as speaking up" guidance—so a range of advice on a range of matters. So that's good advice to the State services and if there are instances of concern then I suggest that she raise them with the State services.Melissa Lee: Is she concerned that the ministerial advisory group appointed by the Minister of Broadcasting Communications and Digital Media to decide the future of public media funding in New Zealand has decided not to keep minutes of their meetings because they would be subject to the Official Information Act?Hon CLARE CURRAN: I'm not aware of that but what I would say is that [Interruption]—SPEAKER: Order!Hon CLARE CURRAN: —the ministerial advisory group has provided reports to the Minister which will be provided in due course publicly.Melissa Lee: Is it open and transparent for the public media ministerial advisory group responsible for millions of taxpayers' dollars for public broadcasting to no longer take minutes of their meetings in order to avoid being subject to the Official Information Act?Hon CLARE CURRAN: I think I've already answered that but I'll repeat that ministerial advisory groups provide advice to Ministers—that's what they're set up to do. That advice is made public to the media in due course as the process goes through.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Point of order.SPEAKER: No I'm sorry—well OK.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. A number of allegations have been made by that member without one shred of evidence and surely a person coming to this House in a genuine inquiry making an allegation of that level should be required to produce the evidence. She would be if it was a primary question. Why after two or three subsequent questions is she persisting with that line? SPEAKER: Yes I do have some concerns in the area but it is clear to me that if the member is incorrect in the allegations that she has made there will be a requirement on her to correct in the House. In fact with repeated allegations it would come very close to being a breach of privilege if the member in fact knew that they were not correct. I will say however to Clare Curran that she was asked a—within the question there was a very specific question which she did not address and I'm going to ask Melissa Lee to ask the question again preferably in a slightly shortened form with the guts of it clear so we can get it addressed.Melissa Lee: Is it open and transparent for the public media ministerial advisory group responsible for millions of taxpayer dollars for public broadcasting to no longer take minutes of their meetings—SPEAKER: That's enough.Hon CLARE CURRAN: I'm unaware of any allegation of that sort. My understanding is that my ministerial advisory group is providing reports to me which will be made public in due course. I'm unaware of that matter that that member is raising.Melissa Lee: I seek leave to table a letter dated 19 June 2018 from Te Manatū Taonga which is the Ministry for Culture and Heritage and the 27 February 2018 minutes of the public media advisory group released from the Minister's office under the OIA.SPEAKER: Is there any objection to those documents being tabled? There appears to be none.Documents by leave laid on the Table of the House.Melissa Lee: Will the Minister be asking the Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage to encourage her department who are providing secretarial services to the advisory group for public broadcasting to specifically advise the group that deciding not to keep meeting minutes fails to meet expected standards of openness and transparency?Hon CLARE CURRAN: I'll certainly be looking into the matter."