Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The members opposite do not like that, but the reality is—and let me make this very clear—that we now have a ruling from the chair, directed at me, regarding a donation and a consequent referral to matters in the Senate, which does not apply, according to the President, to Senator Boswell or to a series of other senators who have gained monetary advantage or sought donations and then, in this Senate, prosecuted a case which was in favour, potentially or directly or indirectly, of the donors. So what we have is the Committee of Privileges, which has a time-honoured non-political role in protecting privilege in this place, being politicised by these contrary decisions from the chair.