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

Very helpful, President and Senator Cash. What I can advise is this: (1) the Human Rights Commission was granted leave by the High Court to make submissions in the NZYQ case; (2) the commission is independent of government, and one of its legislated functions is to intervene in court cases that raise human rights issues. I am advised that neither the Attorney-General nor any other minister sign off on what those submissions say. Third, I'm advised that the Attorney-General approved the commission's request for an exemption in relation to its interventions in the terms I have already indicated. (Time expired)