Western Australia's Attorney-General John Quigley has been accused of providing "false and misleading information" to Parliament and revealing a covert WA Police investigation in the process.
Last month, Mr Quigley used parliamentary privilege to claim a laptop at the centre of a state MP expenses scandal may contain material related to "overseas sexual exploitation of minors".
"I'm not saying there's a crime committed because it's very hard sometimes to tell the age of Asian girls. Very hard," Mr Quigley said in Parliament last month.
"But there had to be an investigation about what was on the computer and whether it involved the sexual exploitation of minors overseas.
"That is still a current, ongoing inquiry, and a computer is locked away in Parliament somewhere with that evidence.
"That has not yet been examined in detail."
Laptop was investigated by police, Doust says
His Labor colleague, Legislative Council President Kate Doust, today responded to the disclosures while in the Upper House of Parliament, rejecting the suggestion the laptop had not been examined in detail by police.
"In revealing a covert criminal investigation by WA Police, the Attorney-General claimed that the laptop 'has not yet been examined in detail'," Ms Doust said.
"The facts are that WA Police has extensively examined the laptop as part of its investigation.
"This occurred with the full cooperation and assistance of the PPC (Procedure and Privileges Committee) and following the negotiation of memoranda of understanding between WA Police and the PPC."
Ms Doust, who is also the chair of the PPC, said police commenced a review of the laptop and other relevant devices with the cooperation of the PPC.
Hard drive and computer remain locked up in Parliament
The Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) had seized the laptop and two hard drives from an MP in 2019 as part of a separate investigation into the use of MP entitlements.
But it was later forced to surrender the items to the Legislative Council, which argued the CCC had overstepped its powers by seizing objects subject to parliamentary privilege.
Ms Doust said the laptop contained "emails and diary entries" from the MP's parliamentary email account "and other information subject to parliamentary privilege".
The fight to return the laptop to the CCC is currently facing proceedings in the Supreme Court.
Quigley denies exposing ongoing police investigation
Mr Quigley has vehemently rejected the accusation he had "misled Parliament and disclosed a covert investigation".
"That is simply not the case," Mr Quigley said in a statement, issued shortly after Ms Doust's comments in Parliament today.
"The Chair herself revealed the existence of a police investigation in a media statement on December 22 last year."
Ms Doust acknowledged this, but said "great care" was taken to ensure the nature of the police investigation remained confidential.
Mr Quigley said it was clear during his statement to Parliament last month when he referenced a "current, ongoing inquiry" he was talking about the "current, ongoing inquiry: that is, the CCC inquiry".
"The laptop has at all times been upon the premises of Parliament. The CCC was clearly unable to carry on any further inquiry in relation to the laptop," Mr Quigley said.
"That is because it was held by the Chair and her committee.
"The Chair stated today that the laptop was examined by the WA Police in accordance with a protocol.
"I call on the Chair and her committee to immediately allow the CCC to examine the laptop and hard-drive under a protocol."
