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

Those who may be listening to this broadcast should know one thing in particular. There has been no allegation of wrongdoing made by anyone against Senator Arthur Sinodinos—none. The Labor Party have been seeking to smear by innuendo—guilt by association—seeking to smear the reputation of this very distinguished Australian. But remember this, Mr Acting Deputy President: there has been no allegation of wrongdoing made against Arthur Sinodinos. Senator Arthur Sinodinos is a witness in proceedings at ICAC. Any citizen may be called as a witness in proceedings at ICAC. But neither counsel assisting ICAC, nor other witnesses before ICAC, nor the ICAC commissioner himself—no-one—has alleged any wrongdoing against Senator Sinodinos; nobody.

So the fact that this, one of the most grave motions that a parliamentary chamber can be debating, has been moved, in circumstances where no allegations of wrongdoing have been made against this man, tells you all you need to know about the motives and the modus operandi of the Australian Labor Party. Would that there were anybody sitting on the benches opposite who had served Australia as well, over more than 20 years of public service, as Arthur Sinodinos, but we look around their depleted ranks and there is no-one. There is not one of them who can boast a record of public service as distinguished as that of Arthur Sinodinos.

This government upholds and demands the highest of ministerial standards, and those ministerial standards require the highest probity of every minister. Those are standards by which Senator Sinodinos has conducted himself just as every minister in the Abbott government has conducted themselves. Let me say it again because it cannot be stressed often enough: this motion—this disgraceful motion that has been foreshadowed by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, the former CFMEU official, Senator Penny Wong—is a motion designed to humiliate and smear a man against whom there have been no allegations made of wrongdoing, against whom Senator Wong in her speech was unable to formulate any allegation of wrongdoing, against whom no member of Labor Party has been able to formulate any allegation of wrongdoing merely because he is a witness. If the Labor Party have specific allegations of wrongdoing, let them come forward with them. They should put up or shut up before they smear the reputation of a man who is a greater Australian than any of them.