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

Mr Deputy President, I simply must put this case before the Senate. Let me be clear about the second matter, which was when Senator Kroger put the reference for me to the committee to the chair, she was informed an hour and a half before that statement was made by the President. Members of the Press Gallery from the Murdoch press were in the gallery then, but we were not told about it. I ask you: is it not a matter of privilege that senators should be left in the situation where the President does not inform them that they are victims of a proposal to go to the privileges committee but the press gets to know about it? That cannot be allowed to stand. That is an infringement of the rights of members of this Senate to be able to freely know that they are not going to be ambushed by the actions, or by the failure to act, of the chair. This is a serious matter; it should go to— (Time expired)