Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

No, this is not worthy of a censure, because Mr Flugge is a decent and honourable person and that was the basis on which we employed him. The allegation against him that he is deaf and therefore he should be mocked for being hard of hearing is something I think a lot of Australians will take a very dim view of. This couples with the Leader of the Opposition allowing the attack by the member for Wills on the member for Gwydir through the media. The Leader of the Opposition approved that attack. He hid of course; he did not like to show. He thought it was a bit dirty for the leader to be seen to be involved, but the Leader of the Opposition is responsible for that grubby attack. The Leader of the Opposition loves, as he did on the Sunday TV show, to drag the names of departmental officers into this whole debate. Imagine how those officers feel when they see somebody fulminating about them on a television program for their own personal political advantage. It is very ugly. I will tell you something, Mr Speaker: I defend these people. These people indeed work—

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