Spying is a breach of privilege

Last week I argued that Parliamentary Services' spying on Andrea Vance and Peter Dunne was a breach of Parliamentary Privilege. It seems the Speaker agrees. This afternoon, he referred the issue to the Privileges Committee.

Unfortunately, it was done in general terms, so that the Committee can make a formal determination on the rules around such spying. Which means that heads are unlikely to roll within Parliamentary Services, and that David Henry is unlikely to be punished for his violation of privacy and privilege.