New kid on the block Craig Garland apologises for doctored social media post

Political newcomer Craig Garland admits he is still learning the finer points of Tasmania’s parliament, after being censured for publishing altered footage. How parliament responded:

Independent Member for Braddon, Craig Garland. Picture: Linda Higginson

Political newcomer, Craig Garland, admits he is still learning the finer points of Tasmania’s parliamentary system, after being censured for publishing altered footage of a committee meeting on social media.

The independent member for Braddon, who was elected to the North-West seat in March, issued an apology in the House of Assembly on Tuesday evening, following an investigation into his role on the Joint Select Committee on Energy Matters.

Committee chair, Ruth Forrest, found Mr Garland had taken broadcast footage from a 28 October hearing, interspersed it with “extraneous material”, and published excerpts on his Facebook page.

Ms Forrest, who noted Mr Garland had apologised to the committee during a special meeting convened on 12 November, said the publication of doctored footage had the potential to put witnesses’ legal rights at risk.

Ruth Forrest independent member for Murchison. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“The publication of altered excerpts of the broadcast of a committee’s proceedings on a Member’s social media page is unlikely to attract qualified parliamentary privilege,” Ms Forrest wrote in the energy committee’s Special Report findings.

“Maintain the confidence and trust of participants in parliamentary committee processes is crucial, particularly in relation to witnesses who appear before a committee at hearing.”

Ms Forrest said the committee accepted Mr Garland’s advice that he had not published the material in an attempt to mislead, but recommended that he apologise to the House of Assembly to avoid a potential referral to the Privileges and Conduct Committee.

On Monday evening, Mr Garland did just that, telling a marathon sitting of Parliament that Tasmanian voters wanted MPs willing to take responsibility for their faults.

Mr Garland said while he had “strong opinions” on energy matters, the need to remain impartial and objective when considering witness comments was of paramount importance for elected representatives.

“I do not make light of making mistakes, but I want to highlight that being a new member of parliament without the support of a party has been challenging for me as well as my staff,” Mr Garland said.

Craig Garland Independent member for Braddon. Parliament question time. Picture: Chris Kidd

“I have learnt so much in the past few months about parliament, and I am still learning each day.

“I apologise to members of parliament and to committee members for not keeping the standards expected of this parliament.

“I am still coming to grips with how parliament works and take this opportunity to learn from a mistake. I hope members can find it in their hearts to give me a little grace, and I ask for forgiveness for not fully grasping the requirements of the responsibility of a committee member.”

Mr Garland said he requested that a member of staff remove the offending video a day after Ms Forrest raised the issue, and apologised for any offence caused to witnesses.

The member for Braddon’s apology came as Speaker of the House, Michelle O’Byrne issued a warning to all members that further breaches could be investigated by parliament.

“I feel like I am a school teacher telling people off, but here we go,” Ms O’Byrne said before Question Time.

Speaker Michelle O'Byrne. Parliament Question Time. Picture: Chris Kidd

“It has been brought to my attention that there have been a number of instances of the official broadcast being edited or doctored and placed on social media.

“This is a misrepresentation of the proceedings of the House because the clips no longer represent a true account of the proceedings of the House.

“I note that putting a disclaimer at the end of a post in no way changes the risk of breaching parliamentary privilege.

“Incidents such as this will be a matter for the House to pursue.”