Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

We do not know if it is unfair dismissal, but what we do know is that on the following dates the Leader of the Opposition backed Kevin Harkins as the candidate for Franklin. He backed him on 22 and 24 June and on 19 and 20 July. On 23 July the Leader of the Opposition said this about Mr Harkins:

Well, Mr Harkins is the candidate for the Australian Labor Party and I have seen nothing to date which would require me to cause any change in that position. As I said, the matters which we are dealing with here are civil matters. And we really need to start rocking and rolling.

‘We really need to start rocking and rolling’—I am not quite sure what that means; it is a Kevinism. On 24 July the Leader of the Opposition backed Harkins as well. So what changed?

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