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

The appropriate reaction of members of parliament, irrespective of their political positions, to decisions of the High Court is always to respect the authority of the court. I might say that even if the decision had gone the other way, and the Commonwealth's proceedings had been dismissed rather than upheld, my answer would have been the same. It is imperative that all members of parliament, irrespective of their personal opinions, uphold and respect the authority of decisions of the courts.

That has not always been the case. I recall that under the previous government, in September 2011 when the High Court gave its decision in the Malaysia solution case, the High Court and individual members of the court were attacked by members of the cabinet and by the Prime Minister.