THE HON MARK DREYFUS QC MP
SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL
SHADOW MINISTER FOR NATIONAL SECURITY
MEMBER FOR ISAACS
BRANDIS REFUSES TO RULE OUT TAKING LONDON POSTING
This afternoon, under questioning from Labor senators at a hearing of the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee, George Brandis was given the opportunity to rule out taking a diplomatic or judicial posting before the expiry of his current term in the Senate.
He refused:
Senator Murray WATT: So you don't rule out taking on a diplomatic or judicial appointment.
Attorney-General George BRANDIS: I'm not at liberty to answer your question Senator.
Senate Estimates, Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee, 12 December 2016
This comes after Prime Minister Turnbull similarly refused to rule out offering Senator Brandis a judicial or diplomatic appointment as an escape route from the ministry, where his constant gaffes have clearly not left him many friends.
Conveniently, today's hearing follows Senator Brandis's return from a trip to London and Paris a good opportunity to scope out the new digs, perhaps.
It is beyond time for Senator Brandis to resign, or be sacked. Labor has been calling for this for some time, for good reason because it should have happened months ago.
In 2016 alone, Senator Brandis has:
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Changed the law of the Commonwealth to get at former Solicitor-General Justin Gleeson, who was forced to resign;
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Misled the Senate and undermined the rule of law in this country in the process;
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Labelled his Queensland LNP colleagues very, very mediocre;
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Allegedly meddled with the Australian Taxation Office recovering $300m of taxpayer money in the Bell High Court litigation;
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Sent community legal services to the brink with funding cuts;
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Stacked the Administrative Appeals Tribunal with Liberal Party mates; and
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Appealed to the Full Court of the Federal Court to stop parts of his diary being released, and lost.
Enough is enough. Senator Brandis has to go.
MONDAY, 12 DECEMBER 2016
