Confidential documents containing private details of Victorian citizens that had been uploaded by the government to the state parliament website, have been removed following speculation about a possible class action.

Speaker Colin Brooks ordered the documents be taken offline on Friday, saying the sheer volume of documents — which run to about 80,000 pages — meant it was difficult to check them for potential breaches of privacy.

The documents were tabled in parliament on Monday by an order of the government-controlled lower house because they contained details about an alleged misuse of power by the opposition leader, Matthew Guy, dating back to his stint as planning minister in the Baillieu government.

The release included confidential cabinet and legal documents revealing that Guy ordered a $3.5m confidential settlement following a botched planning decision on land near Ventnor on Phillip Island.

He had legal advice saying the case was winnable and cabinet approval for a settlement of only $600,000 to $1.1m, including costs.

But the documents also included private medical and financial information of a Victorian lawyer, legal documents relating to an unrelated criminal case, and details of a number of Phillip Island residents who protested against the proposed rezoning, including Leonie Hemsworth, the mother of actors Chris, Liam, and Luke.

On Thursday the parliament passed a motion to remove certain documents.

“To remove the documents the motion requires them to be private and confidential and that they not relate to the original order to produce documents on 29 March,” Brooks said.

In the meantime, he said, the documents would only be available in hard copy in parliament, limiting the potential exposure.

“Given the volume of documents and the sensitive issues raised I’ve asked that the online link to documents be taken down this morning until further advice on the motions passed by the House in relation to these documents is considered,” he said.

“The documents, except those already requested to be removed, remain “published” and available in hard copy at the parliament as originally advised.”

The opposition criticised the decision to only remove documents after they had been proved to breach confidentiality, saying that it meant that documents would only be removed once a breach of privacy was publicly exposed by the media.

On Tuesday, a government spokesman told Guardian Australia that the documents had not been redacted because the volume of documents made such measures “impossible”.