Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Did the Attorney-General verbally instruct the Solicitor-General not to run a particular argument in the Bell case in the High Court? Prime Minister, this is not covered by the Attorney-General's statement in the Senate today, and the Attorney-General has said on Sky News today, 'I'm not going into that matter.'

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

During the motion that was raised earlier today denouncing the Attorney-General over this matter—which was being moved, of course, before he had even completed his statement to the Senate on it, showing the shadow Attorney-General's high regard for due process and natural justice—I was turning to talk to my colleagues and I heard the words, 'The Attorney-General is a disgrace.' I did not need to turn around to see who had said that; it is always the member for Isaacs.

Not since Rumpole spilt claret on Guthrie Featherstone QC MP's jabot has there been such a shameful sort of enmity in the bar common room. It is relentless. You can set your clock on a denunciation of the Attorney-General. The fact of the matter is the Attorney-General has set out a comprehensive statement of events. The shadow Attorney-General is asking me what transpired in a conversation between two distinguished members of the bar at which I was not present. Obviously I do not know what transpired between them, but the Attorney-General has set out his account of the events. It is completely comprehensive and I refer honourable members to it. I really hope that, in the spirit of Christmas and goodwill, the member for Isaacs will find something good about the Attorney-General and perhaps may think kindly of his fellow QC. Surely there must be something that can bring them together at this happy time of year.

Ms Keay interjecting—

Ms Butler interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Braddon is now warned! And the member for Griffith will cease interjecting.