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

I want to say a few words about the annual report of the Australian Government Solicitor. In particular, I wanted to refer to the appearance of the Australian Government Solicitor and officers of the Australian Government Solicitor before the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee estimates hearing in the week before last when for quite a period of time I asked questions about the litigation brought against the member for Fisher, Mr Peter Slipper, by Mr James Ashby, a person who alleges with particularity to have been sexually harassed by the member for Fisher.

I should say that I took the trouble of writing to Mr Govey, the CEO of the Australian Government Solicitor, the week before estimates to indicate to him that I wanted officers of the AGS who had knowledge of the conduct of the litigation on behalf of the Commonwealth to be present because, as you know Mr Deputy President, the Commonwealth was a party to the litigation until it settled on 27 September. And an extraordinary thing happened: officers of the Australian Government Solicitor were present in the committee room. In particular, the senior legal officer with the principal conduct of the case, a man called Mr Damien O'Donovan, was present. The CEO of the Australian Government Solicitor, Mr Ian Govey, was present and at the table but, deliberately and advertently, for a period of more than two hours, the secretary of the department, Mr Roger Wilkins—plainly acting on instructions from the minister, the Attorney-General, Ms Roxon—refused to allow Mr Damien O'Donovan to respond to questions from the opposition, and effectively refused to allow Mr Govey, who was actually at the table, to respond to questions from the opposition.