The ACT government will not have to release a swathe of documents about sites considered for future public housing after a decision by an independent legal arbiter.
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Speaker Joy Burch referred a request by the Canberra Liberals to produce almost two years' worth of meeting notes from the Public Housing Renewal Steering Committee to an external reviewer after Opposition MLAs cried foul.
The Liberals had asked for the documents under freedom of information laws, after an outcry over plans to build new public housing on land zoned for community use, but the notes that were released were heavily redacted.
The documents contained information about alternative sites considered for public housing the government plans to build in suburbs like Chapman and Mawson.
Housing spokesman Mark Parton last month called on the government to reveal how many blocks zoned as community facility land were earmarked for social housing.
His Liberal colleague Andrew Wall later invoked a special set of standing orders to try to force the full documents to be tabled in the Assembly.
He said the documents would "once and for all and unequivocally, cast light on what the government's intentions are when it comes to the future planning of public housing in the ACT".
"It is clearly and unequivocally the government's policy to continue identifying opportunities to build and provide more public housing across the territory," Mr Wall said.
"I think that in the public interest it is appropriate that the determinations, the information and the focus of the Public Housing Renewal Steering Committee be afforded the opportunity of some public scrutiny."
Recently retired ACT Supreme Court judge Richard Refshauge was tasked with breaking the deadlock and on Wednesday, Ms Burch announced he had upheld the claim of executive privilege made by Chief Minister Andrew Barr.
His report has been sent to all MLAs but cannot be released publicly without an order from the Assembly.
In a statement, Mr Parton said it was "most disappointing" the documents would remain secret but that he respected the independent arbiter's decision.
He said the Liberals would continue to "vigorously" hold the ACT government to account.
It is the second time a claim of executive privilege by Mr Barr has been referred to an independent arbiter this year.
In June former president of the NSW Court of Appeal Keith Mason ruled an ACT Health report into infrastructure upgrades did not meet the criteria for executive privilege.
