Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

It worries me somewhat that Senator Ian Macdonald has now gone to the gutter in relation to what is a very important Family Court appointment in Townsville. To those on the other side—

Senator Brandis interjecting—

I am sure that Senator Brandis would not agree that we should cheapen this appointment by using the language that Senator Ian Macdonald has used, drawing it into another debate completely that can be run at any time. What the Attorney-General has said is that these positions will be advertised shortly and, as I said in my answer to the primary question, I encourage people from North Queensland to make strong applications for that position because the Attorney-General has a preference for a Townsville base.