Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It gives me no pleasure to rise and have to rebut some of the spurious arguments that have been put forward by those on the other side. It concerns me, in fact, not least of all that those who are most vocal in their interjections are the ones who are probably muckraking the most over this circumstance. What we do know is that the Prime Minister of the day will choose those people whom he believes are appropriate for the portfolios in which they will serve the people of Australia. Simply because one of the Prime Minister's chosen ministers is assisting police in establishing the facts and circumstances surrounding the demise of Labor's sleazy own pick for Speaker of the House of Representatives under Julia Gillard's tutelage I think is not cause for alarm. What would be more alarming would be if there were no cooperation taking place, but indeed there has been. The fact that Mr Brough has nothing to hide came through abundantly clear in the 60 Minutes interview, to which those opposite continue to refer.

What I do not think is appropriate, and I think the Australian people share my point of view, is politicians acting as judge, jury and some sort of character executioner by standing in this place and using parliamentary privilege to throw down all sorts of smears of which they have no further evidence. We have seen accusations of hypocrisy being levelled before in this space. If I may recall, many of those who are firing the arrows and the bullets from the other side were the same staunch defenders of one Craig Thomson.