Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I have a question for you. On Saturday I was present in the House with my family. I was showing them the highlights and the artworks when I was approached by either the APS or the AFP—which I could only assume because of the blue uniform. It not being a weekday, and not being in customary uniform myself, I can understand that the security person did not recognise me as a member of parliament, which is fair enough. I have to say that I did not recognise him, either. But, given that he was carrying a weapon, I assumed he was an official—although I did not see any identification, nor did I ask him for one. To quote him, he asked me to produce my ID, to which I replied that I was a member. He again asked me to produce my ID, to which I replied that I was a member of parliament, in case he had mistaken my membership for some other place. Without engaging in any conversation he then insisted very directly that he needed to see my ID. At this stage I realised this was not a simple case of not having recognised me as a member. I also have to say that I felt a little perplexed and somewhat intimidated as to what was the next stage, given that I do not have any ID. I rifled through my wallet, which luckily I was carrying—although this is not always the case in the House—to find something that I could use as ID. I could have produced my licence, my Medicare card or my Visa card—

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