Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Attorney-General (Senator Brandis) to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today.

This government has a serious problem with scrutiny. We have seen, in the most recent incidents and in recent times, through Senator Brandis's pattern of behaviour, senior public servants and agency heads used to cover their actions. Indeed, the additional information that Senator Brandis provided us with today about the email we were discussing in question time highlights the fact that Mr Thawley, who we have been referring to, is not only a very senior public servant; he is the most senior public servant. Indeed, he does have an office in the cabinet rooms, very close to the Prime Minister's office; but I am really not sure what the point is there.

The real point is: how can we trust the Attorney-General with very serious national security matters when he hides behind a second tab to mislead parliament? The Attorney-General's Department has been forced to reveal that both they and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet allowed four sitting days before correcting the record. We heard from Senator Brandis today that he does not have much more that he can add.

The opposition has obtained this email, which is evidence that Senator Brandis and Ms Bishop were told that they had misled parliament on the evening of Monday 1 June. At 5.30 pm on Monday 1 June the secretary of the Prime Minister's department, Mr Michael Thawley, called Senator Brandis's department from the cabinet office to instruct Senator Brandis's department to correct the record of misleading evidence during Senate estimates and in the house. Mr Thawley also instructed Senator Brandis's department—