George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

The point of the question seems to be that it is somehow untenable for an Attorney-General, or indeed any other minister, to be honest with the public in saying that they have lost confidence in the head of a statutory agency. That seems to be your point, Senator Singh. Well, the truth is I have lost confidence in Professor Triggs, and I have been honest about it and I have explained why. If you think there is something inappropriate about that, my attention has been drawn to a report in yesterday's Melbourne Age newspaper:

Premier Daniel Andrews said he had "lost confidence" in WorkSafe chief executive Denise Cosgrove and chairman David Krasnostein.

The government asked for their resignations …

Senator Singh, you seem to be at variance with Premier Andrews. You seem to be saying there is something wrong in a minister saying they have lost confidence in a statutory office holder. If you have lost confidence in such an officer, you are obliged to be honest about it. (Time expired)