Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

The Sir Garfield Barwick address is a public, professional lecture delivered by distinguished Australians. The last address was delivered by the former Chief Justice Murray Gleeson AC. It is in address advertised by the New South Wales Bar Association on their website. It is a fact that this is a public professional lecture auspiced by the New South Wales professional lawyers in the Liberal Party.

Can I say there has been a long tradition of judicial officers going to functions of various political parties. Indeed, my colleague the Attorney-General indicated that Justice Kirby, when he was President of the Court of Appeal, addressed the Society of Labor Lawyers. Did we hear any criticism of that? No. Might I add, did we on the Liberal side condemn Justice Kirby at the time for doing so? No, we did not because there is a long tradition.

Indeed, I now speak of our dear departed former governor, who was not necessarily of my persuasion in the state of Tasmania, Chief Justice Peter Underwood. He addressed a Liberal Party forum auspiced by the Liberal Party on the issue of sentencing whilst he was Chief Justice and also, might I add, a serving magistrate did the same. Was there any criticism at the time from the Australian Labor Party? No, because it is part and parcel of the accepted task of judicial officers to address community organisations including those auspiced by political parties.

The New South Wales Bar Association in fact advertised this function as follows:

The sixth annual Sir Garfield Barwick address will be delivered by the Honourable Dyson Heydon ACQC at a dinner to be held at the Castlereagh Boutique Hotel on Wednesday 26 August at 6 to 6:30 pm.

Being a highly sensitive individual and a man absolutely oozing integrity, Mr Dyson Heydon, on becoming aware that this had the possibility of being a Liberal Party event and before this matter even hit the media, had his spokesperson issue a statement which said:

As early as 9.23am this morning (and prior to any media enquiry being received) he advised the organisers that 'if there was any possibility that the event could be described as a Liberal Party event he will be unable to give the address', …

That is the right and proper thing to do. The Australian Labor Party worked themselves into a lather about the $80 somehow representing a fundraising event. Think about it: an inner city Sydney hotel where you are going to have judges and barristers eating, I dare say $80 would just cover the costs. In case you think an $80 lunch is an extravagance can I remind those opposite of a fundraiser that was. It had Senator the Hon. Penny Wong as attending, but do you know who the special guest was? Tim Harcourt, a serving commissioner of the Fair Work Commission of Australia. And do you know what else? The ticket was not $80, not $100 and not even $800. It was $1,000 a ticket. What a big meal that would have been to cover costs! There you have a fundraiser, well and truly! $1,000 per head! There is no pretence there of only covering costs, but we have Mr Tim Harcourt doing it, and no criticism from Labor. (Time expired)