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

I am happy to. It is witnessed by Julia Gillard over the impressed stamp of a solicitor holding a current practising certificate. The specific power of attorney by Mr Ralph Blewitt appoints Bruce Morton Wilson as Mr Blewitt's attorney.

The power of attorney is recited to have been made on the fourth day of February 1993.

I also have here an advertisement placed by a real estate agent called Thomsons for a property at 85 Kerr Street, Fitzroy. The document advertises that the auction is to take place on 13 February 1993. It is not in dispute that the auction did take place and that the property was knocked down to Mr Wilson, who purported to acquire it in the name of Mr Blewitt. Mr Blewitt at the time the power of attorney was ostensibly executed on 4 February 1993 was in Perth. Ms Gillard, who witnessed the power of attorney, lived in Melbourne. It is not impossible that on 4 February 1993 Ms Gillard was in Perth personally present with Mr Blewitt. Nor is it impossible that on 4 February 1993 Mr Blewitt was in Melbourne personally present with Ms Gillard. It is even possible that the two of them were together somewhere else. But it would be a fraud and it would be a crime—it would be the crime of creating a materially false and misleading document—if in fact that power of attorney was backdated.

In the House of Representatives about an hour ago the Prime Minister was asked specifically by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Ms Bishop, 'Were you personally present when this power of attorney was executed?'—because, if the Prime Minister was not, then this document would be a forgery. And do you know what, Mr Deputy President, if the Prime Minister were personally present, there was one very simple answer that would put all suspicion at rest. She could simply have said yes. But she did not. She declined to do so. She said, 'I've witnessed thousands of powers of attorney in my career as a lawyer.' If this document were not a falsification why didn't she just say 'yes'? (Time expired)