Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Attorney-General. On 12 September last year, Australia's terror alert level was raised to its highest level in our history. What protocols were changed in ministerial offices, including the Attorney-General's office, as a result of the terror alert level being raised?

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand where the former Attorney-General is heading with this question. His actions today in questioning the Attorney-General over procedures in the Attorney-General's office is contemptible. For the Attorney-General to seek to make political mileage out of a national tragedy is reprehensible. The former Attorney-General well knows that the procedure related to the handling of a letter received from Mr Monis is exactly the same procedure as occurred under this Attorney-General's time in that office. I find it extraordinary. This former Attorney-General's record on national security was so weak, where we saw our security agencies' resources and our intelligence agencies' resources degraded under the former Labor government. Absolutely appalling.

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There will be silence for this answer.

Mr Champion interjecting—

The member for Wakefield will leave under 94(a).

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have seen the line of questioning in Senate estimates today about protocols in the Attorney-General's Department. What the Attorney-General under the Labor government, the now member for Isaacs, has failed to point out is that letters were received from this gentleman by the former Attorney-General himself, by former Labor ministers, by former Prime Minister Gillard, by the former Attorney-General McLelland. For this former Attorney-General to seek to question protocols in the Attorney-General's Department that he well knows were in place when he was there, and he received a letter from Mr Monis, is beneath contempt. While the member for Isaacs and the Labor Party were very weak on national security, I did not ever expect them to go so low as to attack the Attorney-General for protocols in the Attorney-General's Department that he well knew were in place when the former Labor government was there.

Dr Chalmers interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Rankin will leave under 94(a).

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And an attempt to politicise a national tragedy should never occur in this place, not under the former Attorney-General, and certainly we are deeply concerned with Labor's line of questioning that seeks to question protocols that he well knew existed.