The NSW parliament will be dissolved on Monday, five days earlier than had been expected.
Attorney-General Mark Speakman has written to NSW Governor General Margaret Beazley asking her to prorogue the parliament from February 27, a notice in the NSW Government Gazette confirmed on Thursday.
Labor said the decision raised questions about whether current parliamentary inquiries would be shut down, including an upper house inquiry into allegations of impropriety in the Hills Shire Council.
That inquiry is attempting to call Jean-Claude Perrottet, the younger brother of Premier
Dominic Perrottet, and Hills Shire councillor Virginia Ellis and former Liberal state executive member, Christian Ellis.
Committee member, Penny Sharpe told 2GB she was “unprepared” for the announcement, and was unsure what this would mean for the inquiry.
“We weren’t anticipating this,” she said.
“There’s still some questions we need answered and the government needs to provide clarity.”
But the government said on Thursday that Upper House committees would continue to sit after Monday.
The government defended its decision to prorogue the parliament as “an entirely normal process that occurs before every election.”
“The parliament is prorogued before every general election and the timing is comparable with previous general elections,” a spokesperson for the premier said.
“Prior to the 2019 NSW election, the Parliament was prorogued from 25 February 2019.
“Labor’s Kristina Keneally prorogued the Parliament on 22 December 2010, more than three months before the election in 2011.”
More to come
