Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Johnston, the Minister for Justice and Customs. Is the minister aware of claims last night by the member for Moreton, Mr Hardgrave, that the Australian Federal Police were engaged in a high-level conspiracy with the Queensland government to bring him down? Doesn’t this follow Mr Hardgrave’s statement last week that the AFP investigation into the use of his entitlements was a ‘total farce’? Does the minister endorse his Liberal Party colleague’s arrogant and politically motivated attack on the Australian Federal Police? Given the minister’s self-righteous answer to a question about the progress of the AFP investigation on 20 June, can he now indicate what specific action he has taken against Mr Hardgrave for his escalating attacks on the integrity of the AFP?

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice and Customs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The honourable senator discloses no understanding whatsoever of parliamentary privilege, but then again he has only been here such a short time that I would not expect him to. That matter has still to be resolved, and of course I am not going to run any form of commentary or adjudication on the investigative officers or their performance. Can I reassure the Senate that at all times the inquiry has been conducted entirely at arm’s length from the Howard government and indeed from me as minister, as it should be. The commissioner has my absolute confidence. If there are complaints to be made, there are well-established and reputable mechanisms which have the utility to receive and properly investigate such complaints. But, in short, to answer the senator’s questions: there has been no interference by me or by anybody known to me from the government. There has been no shredding of documents to emulate the Heiner affair or anything like that and there has been no withdrawal of charges at the eleventh hour, as happened to Joe McDonald in Western Australia. This investigation has been conducted transparently and with integrity, and I do not propose to say anything further.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Was Mr Hardgrave just following the example of the minister himself, who, on 14 June 2006, attacked the Western Australia Police, labelling them corrupt and calling the police commissioner a fraud? Given the minister’s attack on the WA Police, who he claimed were singling out the Liberal Party, and his refusal to condemn Mr Hardgrave’s attack on the AFP, does that mean that he still thinks the police are all out to get the Liberal Party? Why is this minister defending Liberal Party colleagues who have interfered in police investigations rather than defending the integrity of the dedicated officers of the Australian Federal Police?

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice and Customs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It certainly was not me who called the Australian Federal Police Keystone Cops; it was in fact the Labor Premier of Queensland. And it wasn’t me who made allegations that he had not been informed about threats to Queensland buildings. I need to advise senators on the other side that over 200 Queensland police officers were involved in that inquiry and, if the Premier of Queensland was not advised, it was because his own police officers refused to tell him anything because he talks and talks about operational matters, which I have always refused to do.