Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

In terms of the question before thechair, I have answered about how I witnessed documents as a lawyer. The nature of sleaze and smear is that you come in and try to engage in these broadbrush statements. As the Deputy Leader of the Opposition well knows, working as a lawyer you witness hundreds and hundreds, indeed thousands of documents, across a legal career. Anybody can engage in this sleaze and smear campaign. I could stand here and say the Deputy Leader of the Oppositionnever properly witnessed a document during her legal career, not once, not ever. Presumably on current standards, she would need then to the disprove that for every document that she has ever engaged in as a lawyer. It is ridiculous. I properly witnessed documents. If she wants to believe a fraudster then that says something about the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. If the Leader of the Opposition wants to wander around in the public domain on the one hand and say, 'We'll give the Prime Minister the member of the doubt,' and then on the other hand go out with unsubstantiated allegations about me being engaged in major wrongdoing then that says something about the opposition leader and his need for sleaze and smear to fill a political vacuum.

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