George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I do not want to prolong this, but we have seen in the last six weeks Senator Bob Brown take a point of order that it is unparliamentary to accuse another senator of impertinence. Now we have seen Senator Brown take a point of order to say that it is unparliamentary for one senator to accuse the adverse side of the parliament of foolishness. I trust that, when the President reviews the Hansard, there will be a very lively concern about the import­ance of freedom of parliamentary expression. If ever there was one who was not in a position to call into question the right of other senators to be robustly critical of their political opponents, it is Senator Brown himself.