Robert McClelland (Barton, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

I think it has been the precedent in this parliament that, while there has been some scope for seeking opinions, as a matter of generality questions have not been permitted if they seek a legal opinion. I think the first part of the question clearly sought a legal opinion. In terms of the practice followed by my immediate predecessors attorneys-general, that was certainly an approach that they took in terms of declining to answer such questions.

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