Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

directorships—thank you so much. I think it was about six all up. That is of great concern to me because when we first come to the Senate we are all told how important it is to declare all of our interests. Everybody else manages to do that, but Senator Sinodinos, who is obviously smart—I understand he was handpicked to work for Mr Howard—could not get it right and declare these interests. I wonder whether that was an oversight because he might have been embarrassed that he too has been linked to Mr Obeid.

For the opposition to come in here and try to make a mountain out of a molehill and put it back on Senator Carr personally is absolutely disgraceful. Senator Carr is highly commended on the international stage as the foreign affairs minister. He is highly commended—

Senator Brandis interjecting—

Are you standing to interject or just walking around? I know you jump up and down all through question time. It took 25 minutes, I noted, to discuss this issue in question time today. One would have to wonder if those on the other side have got no questions to do with policy. We know that that is probably part of why they ran this issue today.

I want to mention something that happened when Mr Howard was Prime Minister and when one of the other senators failed to disclose his shareholdings in various businesses. That, of course, was none other than former senator Santo Santoro. Senator Santoro was sacked by Mr Howard when Mr Howard was Prime Minister for failing to disclose his shareholdings in various businesses.