New Zealand speaker 'sorry' for releasing journalist's phone records

New Zealand's speaker of Parliament has apologised to a journalist whose phone records were provided to an inquiry probing how she got a leaked report on the nation's spy agency.

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Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom speaks to the media after coming face to face for the first time with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key. Photo: AFP

Published: 12:00am, 31 Jul 2013Updated: 3:30am, 31 Jul 2013

New Zealand's speaker of Parliament has apologised to a journalist whose phone records were provided to an inquiry probing how she got a leaked report on the nation's spy agency.

"This is completely unacceptable and I have personally apologised to the journalist concerned," David Carter said yesterday. "This private information should not have been released, and could be seen to attack the freedom of the press."

It is the latest twist in a saga sparked by revelations that the Government Security and Communications Bureau had illegally spied on Kim Dotcom, founder of the cloud-storage service Megaupload.com that the US shut down on copyright infringement charges. Revenue Minister Peter Dunne resigned from the role last month after failing to adequately respond to an inquiry into how an external review of the GSCB's spying activities was leaked to the newspaper.

Dunne was identified as having had frequent contact with the journalist who got the report, including 86 e-mail exchanges in the two weeks before the leak.

"I don't believe the release of information about a journalist or their records is appropriate," Prime Minister John Key said in Parliament yesterday.

Key's government has introduced legislation allowing the GCSB to carry out domestic spying under certain circumstances, prompting protests from political opponents and peace groups.