Kerry Nettle (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Minchin, the Minister representing the Prime Minister. It relates to behaviour of Senator Heffernan during Saturday’s election that saw the police having to intervene to return how-to-vote cards that had been stolen by Senator Heffernan. Does the Prime Minister endorse the stealing of another party’s how-to-vote cards? Does he endorse confronting voters, in the way that Senator Heffernan did, as appropriate behaviour for a Liberal Party senator?

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

Senator Nettle has just made an extraordinary and, I would say, outrageous allegation against a sitting senator. She has come into this place under parliamentary privilege and accused a fellow senator of the crime of theft. That is what I understood her question to be based on. That is a very serious allegation. I hope she is going to substantiate such an allegation and not hide in here and make such outrageous allegations in this place. She should now prove her complaint. If she has any complaint about any member of this Senate conducting illegal activities, she should go to the police appropriately. To come in here and use question time to make serious allegations of criminal activity by a fellow senator is outrageous.

Kerry Nettle (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. If Senator Minchin wants more information about this, he should ask the New South Wales Police, who had to intervene in this circumstance. What action is the Prime Minister going to take to ensure that behaviour from this Liberal Party senator does not continue at the upcoming federal election as it has in past state and council elections?

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

I know nothing of the incident. If Senator Nettle has serious allegations to make of any illegal activity, she should take them to the right authorities.