Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Obviously Ms Croucher is an independent officer, I think appointed under your government. Second, as the senator would know, and as the shadow Attorney-General the senator would be aware, we have a separation of powers in this country. We are a constitutional democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia, under this government, argued against the proposition that the High Court has found. But the High Court has made its decision, and the government is bound to follow it, and we are doing so.

I would also make the point that the other questions you ask are obviously hypotheticals. But the government will deal with any further legal matters and consequences as a result of this decision carefully and in a considered way. And as I flagged earlier, in my answer to Senator Paterson— (Time expired)