The Canberra Liberals say Labor tried to delay an inquiry into land deals done by the now defunct Land Development Agency, by trying to set up a separate probe into the unauthorised disclosure of information.
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Labor backbencher Michael Pettersson on Wednesday accused Vicki Dunne of breaching the confidence of the Public Accounts Committee by revealing details from a private session of the committee to the Canberra Times.
Mrs Dunne told this newspaper the committee had written to 15 people mentioned in Auditor-General Maxine Cooper's report and that the issuesDr Cooper raised were "serious" and warranted a "full-blown inquiry".
Mr Pettersson asked the Assembly to establish a select committee on privileges to look at the potential breach, saying he had not come to the decision "lightly".
Advice from clerk Tom Duncan tabled in the Assembly described the possible unauthorised disclosure of proceedings in private session as "serious".
"It is certainly not trivial and unworthy of the attention of the Assembly," Mr Duncan wrote.
Mrs Dunne said she was entitled to give the media information as the chair of the Public Accounts Committee but apologised for the "overstretch".
"I may have overstepped the mark and I do apologise to the committee," Mrs Dunne said.
She said there was no question as to who the source of the information was, as she was quoted in the article, therefore no investigation was necessary.
Mrs Dunne added she was surprised to see Mr Pettersson move for a privileges committee, given the committee already decided their work had not been impacted by the disclosure.
"I hope... that this is not an attempt to hamstring the Public Accounts Committee in an issue which is clearly of discomfort to the government and we have to ask ourselves is the non-government member of the Public Accounts Committee being pursued because the government is uncomfortable about the extent of the inquiry?" Mrs Dunne said.
Labor tried to delay a debate on the new inquiry but the Liberals and the Greens banded together to bring on a vote immediately.
The Greens then sided with the Liberals in shutting down the new inquiry altogether.
Leader Shane Rattenbury said the information Mrs Dunne disclosed was "largely procedural" and did not "substantially obstruct" the committee from continuing to do its job.
