Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC) Share this | Hansard source

Don't laugh, Senator Brandis. His position is simply going to be untenable. He can't keep this information to himself. He's got obligations—I'll read his other obligations, just in case you haven't taken them in, Senator Brandis. Under clause 1.3(iv) of the Prime Minister's Statement of Ministerial Standards, he is required to uphold the laws of Australia. You've been advised that there's a potential breach of our most fundamental document, our Constitution, and you've done nothing about it. Not only have you done nothing about it but you've embarrassed your own Prime Minister, because you didn't tell him you knew about it and therefore explain why Senator Parry hadn't raised it earlier.

This government must at some time be held to account. It can't continue to embarrass Mr Turnbull by not telling him things. That's the worst thing you can do. At least if you'd told him, the government could have had a response, it wouldn't have been embarrassed and, more importantly, this Senate would not have been embarrassed.