Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Finance, Senator Gallagher. Minister, in your statement to the Senate on Tuesday, and repeatedly since that time, you've acknowledged you received information about Ms Higgins's sexual assault allegations but did nothing with that information—absolutely nothing—in advance of it being made public. But on Tuesday you couldn't, or wouldn't, answer questions about whether you provided feedback on The Project interview, as has been widely reported. You've refused to explain whether you provided questions to Mr Sharaz, as his text messages suggest. You've avoided answering whether you communicated with any other person about questions to ask the former government. Minister, there are very straightforward answers to these questions. If it's true that you did nothing with the information, why can't you answer basic factual questions about your involvement in this matter?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator McKenzie for the question. I have answered questions in this place. In fact, I've answered probably more questions than many of the people who knew much more than me. The other point I would make is that when I give a commitment to someone around confidentiality I keep it. I don't breach confidentiality arrangements. I am prepared to withstand this line of questioning and the coverage from the media because I have—

Senator Rennick, I don't imagine women come to you with claims and concerns about sexual assault, but they come to me, and I will not breach their confidence.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Gallagher, I am going to ask you to withdraw that comment about Senator Rennick.

Honourable senators interjecting—

It is a personal reflection in my view. I ask you to withdraw it.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm happy to withdraw. But women do come to me raising concerns about sexual assault, sexual violence, sexual harassment, and one of the things I tell them is, 'Your confidence is safe with me.' If I were to breach that and start splashing it all around the place, then I would be breaching that confidence, and I am not doing so.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie, first supplementary?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, despite repeatedly being asked basic questions of fact in this chamber over the last week, you have not been able to confirm whether you ever received TheProject interview before it was made public, whether you communicated with any other individual about the allegations before they were made public, and whether you encouraged the complainant to go to the police. Why do you refuse to be held accountable to this chamber, and why can't you answer basic factual questions about your involvement in this matter?

Honourable senators interjecting

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today of all days to be asking this!

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator Watt! Minister, I haven't called you yet; I'm waiting for silence on my right. Minister, please continue.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, I think that's the same as the first question. I refer you to my statement. I would say I am very disappointed at this week. After the work that we have done on Jenkins, on Respect@Work, on asking women to come forward when something happens to them, to then treat women the way they are being treated right now—it says something about this. And I am sorry Senator Reynolds is clearly upset about what happened to her. I am sorry about that, and I told her that. I told her—

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

She did everything right, Katy!

The:

Order! Minister, please resume your seat.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What about Ms Higgins?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Henderson—

It's not interjection time. There are plenty of opportunities across the week for you to make whatever statements you want within the standing orders of the Senate. Question time is not one of them. I'm asking for respect in this chamber from both sides. Senator Watt, your constant interjections, quite frankly, are very unhelpful, as are those on my left. Minister, please continue.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

But I am also very sorry for Brittany Higgins. I'm sorry that documents about her personal life have been leaked. I'm sorry that a confidential draft claim for compensation found its way into the front pages of a national newspaper. And I am sorry for all the women— (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie, second supplementary?

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You started it, sister!

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Ruston, I heard that. That was very unhelpful, and once again it is a disrespectful interjection. Senator McKenzie, please ask your second supplementary.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, in response to a question yesterday about whether you were invited to Mr Sharaz's first wedding, you said:

I think I was Chief Minister. I got a lot of invitations to a lot of things.

Minister, you ceased being the Chief Minister in December 2014; the wedding was in 2018. Do you now wish to correct your statement to the Senate? Why can't you answer basic factual questions about your involvement in this matter?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie, I will refer you to the ruling I made yesterday in relation to that question. My ruling was that it was not appropriate and quite unrelated to the first question that was asked. The minister was invited to answer that question to the best of her recollection.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

President, just on your ruling, I am not asking about the actual event. It was the fact that the minister made a statement in the chamber that referred to a 2018 event by saying that she was still chief minister. Her information to the chamber was incorrect, and I'm giving her the opportunity to correct that.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will seek the advice of the Clerk, and I apologise if my ruling was incorrect. The Clerk has reinforced that my ruling was correct, and I will invite the minister to answer as much of your question as she feels able to do or wants to do.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To be honest I didn't know when the wedding was. I hadn't linked the two events. If I had given an incorrect answer then I would correct that. I was making the point that I get a lot of invitations to a lot of things. If it wasn't in my role as chief minister but in another role then so be it. I did not attend the wedding; the invitation was declined. But I get thousands of invitations to things, and many of them I can't go to. I would just say again because the insinuation around the questioning today has been that we caused harm to Senator Reynolds or that that is what she feels, and so I would say that, when that was drawn to our attention—and it was—we took that on, and when we were asked to stand back from Senator Reynolds— (Time expired)