Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

I was making the point that Senator Sinodinos's disclosure was presented in the last sitting week, at the very last moment likely to attract the least possible attention before the chamber and offered no opportunity for any other senators to respond. Senator Sinodinos's decision to execute this mea culpa in this regrettable fashion robbed the Senate of the opportunity to promptly address his behaviour, because the Senate did not sit again, as we all know, until approximately a week and a half later. I have heard it remarked that this was a cynical and manipulative measure, but I will leave that to the commentariat to reflect on.