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

Once again—not for the first or even the second or even the third time this week—Labor senators have misrepresented the position and misquoted what has been said. What I said—and what I continue to say, because it is the case—is that I had no knowledge of the James Ashby affair beyond what I learned from the media, and that is the case. Senator Cameron has just said that I misled the Senate because I had said I had no knowledge of Mr Brough's position. That is not what I said. I said I had no knowledge of the James Ashby affair other than what I learned in the media, and that is the case. The fact of a search warrant being executed on Mr Brough's home, which was in the media, and the fact that I was advised of it by the Minister for Justice as a matter of course after the warrant had been executed, is not the James Ashby affair. It is an investigation.