Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Hansard source

It is pretty hard, whether you go to Perth or stay here in Canberra, not to notice the extraordinary goings-on in Western Australia. I am sure Western Australian senators, particularly on the Labor side, are deeply embarrassed by the revelations of Mr Burke’s myriad tentacles through the political structure and the bureaucracy of Western Australia, and the extraordinary goings-on with respect to cabinet ministers, the revelation of private cabinet meetings and the outcome of cabinet discussions to lobbyists of the ilk of Mr Burke—who we all thought had disappeared, but clearly he has resurfaced and is exerting extraordinary influence in Western Australia. However, those are matters that are currently being considered by the relevant commission of Western Australia—