Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, she is a lawyer. I take the interjection from my learned colleague the member for Brand. The minister is a lawyer. You would think she would know the law better. We often talk about the court of public opinion in this place. I would say to you that in no court in this country, whether it be the court of public opinion or the court of law, would this stand up, and it won't stand up. It really won't stand up.

If her staff somehow decided to tip off the media without her knowledge, I want to know: what did the Prime Minister know as well when he had that meeting with her and her staff? The other question that I think really needs to be asked is: who did make the phone call to the Registered Organisations Commission? I think that's a really interesting question to ask, because that person apparently, when they made that call, said that they were fearful that documents may be destroyed or tampered with. So I think that's the other big question: who made the call to the Registered Organisations Commission? Who made the call—or was there more than one who made the call? (Time expired)

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