Libs deny shutting parliament early before NSW heads to polls

Premier Dominic Perrottet has hit back at claims he is shutting down parliament early to stop a parliamentary inquiry into allegations of corruption relating to Hills Shire Council.

Premier Dominic Perrottet is taking an extraordinary step and closing parliament five days early. Picture: NCA NewsWire

The NSW government has insisted the Upper House will still sit next week, despite parliament being prorogued from Monday.

Parliament was due to be dissolved on March 3 but is now being discontinued on February 27, with the measures meaning some government procedures will be put on hold until after the election.

Labor believes the move was designed to avoid a parliamentary inquiry continuing to search for missing Liberals, including Premier Dominic Perrottet’s own brother.

But a spokesman for the Premier said the Upper House probe could continue until March 3, the date parliament was originally set to be dissolved.

“Upper House committees will continue to conduct their business up until the constitutionally mandated dissolution of the Legislative Assembly on 3 March 2023,” he said.

Premier Dominic Perrottet has hit back at claims he is ending parliament early to avoid scrutiny of missing Liberals. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Seb Haggett

“The government is not in caretaker (mode) until March 3, 2023, and Labor should correct the record.”

The Premier’s spokesman added that “proroguing the parliament is an entirely normal process that occurs before every election”.

“The parliament is prorogued before every general election and the timing (this time) is comparable with previous general elections,” he said.

“Prior to the 2019 NSW election, the parliament was prorogued from 25 February 2019.

“Labor’s Kristina Keneally prorogued the parliament on December 22, 2010, more than three months before the election in 2011. Upper House committees continued to sit after this date.”

“Labor are focused on political games and should be ashamed of the lies and scare tactics they are undertaking.”

Labor’s Penny Sharpe earlier told 2GB they were scrambling to find out what the move would mean for their inquiry into Hills Shire Council.

“There’s a big question here about what that actually means. And we’re obviously trying to get to the bottom of it as well. I think that the biggest question here is does the government believes that this means that the committees can’t complete...work they’ve got to do between now and next Friday,” she said.

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