John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

that I intend to depart from in this debate. That does not mean that I do not have views on such matters, of course I do. But, as I said, in my time in the Senate I have tried to adopt a consistent approach on this and do not intend to change the habits of a lifetime today.

I do note, of course, that some have criticised the Attorney-General for public comments that she has made. We have heard that. But it seems to me that it would be more remarkable if the Attorney-General did not provide information about the approach that the Commonwealth has taken before the court. This is a matter where the Commonwealth was being sued by Mr Ashby and, in defending the complaint, the Commonwealth filed an application and made submissions that the proceedings were vexatious and an abuse of process. The Attorney-General explained the application that the Commonwealth made in the court. It is true that the matter was settled last week—both Mr Ashby's complaint against the Commonwealth and the Commonwealth's complaint against the process. But there is a remaining matter, as we all know. That is between Mr Ashby and Mr Slipper. As I have said before, it would be prudent and proper not to canvass that matter while it is before the court.

The Attorney-General has been, as you have heard in this debate, criticised in relation to access to the court by Mr Slipper's Comcar for which the Attorney-General's office made a request on one occasion. That is true. The Attorney-General's office was informed, as I understand it, by the building management that this should not have occurred, so the Attorney-General apologised to the building manager. So a mistake was made. In the scheme of things I think it was a comparatively minor mistake but, appropriately, an apology was made. Surely Senator Brandis knows that we all make mistakes. Even someone as eminent as Senator Brandis makes mistakes—one or two of them perhaps of a more serious nature than what car goes into what car park. Did, for example, Senator Brandis apologise when he made a phone call to the New South Wales Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Mr Gallacher, regarding investigations into the member for Dobell? It was reported at the time—I do not know whether it is accurate or not; it has never been corrected by Senator Brandis or anyone else—that, as a result of Senator Brandis's call, the New South Wales police minister relayed the matter onto the New South Wales Police Commissioner. I personally believe—