Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

We have yet another example of the sanctimonious humbug that we get time and time again from the Leader of the Opposition. What you have seen today as presented by the Special Minister of State and the finance minister in the Senate is an example of a government diligently investigating facts which came to its attention, seeking advice and then, when that advice was received, handing it on to the President of the Senate. The honourable member opposite may reflect on this: on Saturday 29 October he stood before the Labor state conference in Queensland and he denounced the government and he denounced me for relying on the vote of Senator Day. He denounced us for that. Yet, the day before, the Special Minister of State had handed to the President of the Senate a set of papers including legal advice from senior counsel which stated that there were good grounds for concluding that Senator Day's position in the Senate was ineligible.

Ms Macklin interjecting—

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