Sunshine Coast MP Peter Wellington. It also stopped independent MP Peter Wellington naming a man suspected of being the Whiskey Au Go Go arsonist. Mr Wellington, a member of the PCMC, decided against using parliamentary privilege to name a new suspect, identified by crime writer Tony Reeves as the Whiskey Au Go Go arsonist, after Ms Cunningham's speech. "The committee received further advice from the chairperson of the CMC yesterday that, in addition to providing public access to confidential Fitzgerald Inquiry documents, it has destroyed a number of confidential Fitzgerald Inquiry [1987-1989] documents," she said. "The committee understands that these files, which contained intelligence information used by the then newly- established Criminal Justice Commission to commence investigations into the information provided in those documents."

On March 6, 2013, the Crime and Misconduct Commission issued a statement which said it became aware of the problem after questions from The Australian newspaper.



"The Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) has, as a result of inquiries from The Australian become aware of an administrative oversight concerning public access to certain Fitzgerald Inquiry records." The CMC said on Thursday afternoon it could provide no comment on the statements made by Ms Cunningham in state Parliament. Earlier MP Liz Cunningham, explained the CMC was told in May 2012 that sensitive Fitzgerald Inquiry documents had been made publicly available but no steps had been taken to correct the mistake until March 5, 2013. "The chairperson of the CMC advised the committee that the CMC became aware of the public release of the documents around May 2012, when a former CJC officer provided advice to the CMC about the public availability of the documents," Ms Cunningham said. She said the PCMC had also been told that other Fitzgerald Inquiry documents - which were sensitive and valuable - had been destroyed by the CMC as it was reviewing the classification of the documents.

The PCMC has begun an investigation into the matter. On Thursday morning it summonsed the state archivist to appear before the committee to explain which documents had been accidentally released and, in other cases, destroyed. Mr Reeves sought permission and was able to view some files from the Queensland State Archives during his investigation into the 1973 Whiskey Au Go Go fire. After Ms Cunningham spoke, Mr Wellington, a former police officer, decided against naming the alleged arsonist. He said he would now send the information to Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie and request he "urgently investigate the matter".

"This decision comes in light of my membership of this committee," Mr Wellington told Parliament. Loading "And in light of the possible action this committee may take as a result of this ongoing investigation, I am no longer able to refer to this new information, as I originally intended in this Chamber," he said. "I will now write to the Attorney-General referring this new information and requesting that the Attorney-General investigate the information as quickly as possible."