John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

the Exclusive Brethren are entitled to express their views, and I make it clear that my door is open to any lawful organisation and to any group of people who have not been convicted of crimes. Let us take it back to where the Treasurer put it: what we are talking about is the behaviour of the Leader of the Opposition supping with somebody who was under a ban by Dr Geoff Gallop and who had been convicted of a crime. To my knowledge, as a group the Exclusive Brethren have not been convicted of a crime. Individuals may have—like individual people who are members of a church may have been or individual atheists may have been—but as a group they are a lawful organisation. If the member for Grayndler thinks that by this line of questioning he is going to intimidate me out of meeting lawful organisations, he is wrong, and I encourage all—

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