More misinformation

Stuff reports:

Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard will face some scrutiny in a police watchdog review of the 23-day Parliament occupation, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed.

However, a full government inquiry has been ruled out.

The Independent Police Complaints Authority (IPCA) is running a year-long review of the occupation and police actions. Protesters were able to set up camp on and around Parliament lawn, growing from a few hundred to about 3000 people.

Ardern said how Mallard and the Parliament ground’s management team engaged with each other was also in its scope, but there were no other reviews planned despite National calling for a “deep and full scale inquiry”.

The media have reported this as fact, when the reality is, it can’t be true.

The IPCA is a creature of statute. It can no more inquire into the actions of the Speaker, than the Commerce Commission can.

The IPCA Act is here. Section 12 spells out their function is to receive and investigate complaints about the Police. They are not permitted to go beyond this remit.

Why do media report claims from the Prime Minister, without fact checking them?