Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

You ought to be, because I am just starting. Parliamentary privilege in Western democracies has been around for over 300 years. It is an essential element of the toolkit of the people who come to this place and our House of Representatives, enabling them to get on with their function. It is significantly important. We have an obligation and a responsibility to air in this place allegations that are of a serious nature and that may have an impact on the constituency of our country. Equally, we have an obligation to do the most basic due diligence. A simple Google search would have shown Senator Waters that the facts that she needed are on the public record, and would have prevented her from abusing the privilege of this place to make the allegations.

All I can say is that, at the end of events today, the victim of this is not the Premier of Queensland but Senator Waters. Her reputation will be measured against these occasions where she comes into this place and makes allegations that are completely in contrast with the facts on the public record, into which anybody can make the simplest of inquiries. I should not have to get up here all the time responding to these unfounded allegations by Senator Waters against the Premier of Queensland. I am happy to put some time aside for you, Senator Waters, and to give you a basic run-through on due diligence and investigative techniques. That will allow you to underpin the statements you make in this place in the future; to see that they are, at least from a basic perspective, accurate.