George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Minister for the Arts and Sport) Share this | Hansard source

As recently as the night before last I was asked, at a meeting of Queensland Liberal members and senators, my opinion about the legalities of this matter. In the presence of many colleagues, including Senator Ian Macdonald, I expressed the firm view that it would not be lawful for the Queensland division of the Liberal Party to reopen Senator Ian Macdonald’s preselection for the No. 1 position on the Queensland Liberal Senate ticket, since that preselection has already taken place. The only vacancies that will have been created by Senator Santoro’s resignation—