Solicitor-General Justin Gleeson has resigned, delivering a scorching letter to Attorney-General George Brandis in the wake of Gleeson’s demonstration that Brandis misled Parliament and personal attacks on Gleeson by Coalition senators.
Citing the need for the Attorney-General and Solicitor-General to work closely together, Gleeson advised Brandis of his resignation on Monday, saying “I make it perfectly plain that my motivation is solely to further the best interests of the Commonwealth by enabling the restoration of a functional working relationship between the first and second Law Officers”.
[Just what is the Solicitor-General, anyway?]
That relationship was irretrievably broken when Brandis, without consulting Gleeson, issued a direction attempting to regulate access to Gleeson that was both beyond the Attorney-General’s powers and had been made without consultation with Gleeson. A Senate inquiry is currently underway into the issue, and both Gleeson’s submission and his evidence to the committee made clear that Brandis had indeed failed to consult him, confirming Brandis had misled the Senate in claiming to have done so. Gleeson was the subject of repeated criticisms and commentary by Coalition senators during his evidence.
Gleeson goes on to tell Brandis in his letter:
“For the avoidance of any doubt, I also make perfectly plain that I reject absolutely each and every attack and insinuation that has been made in recent times upon my personally, or upon my office, by Government members of Parliament, including you, in the Senate Committee processes.”
Brandis himself continues to insist, in the face of evidence, that he consulted with Gleeson and that he can define “consult” to mean what he wants.
Who’s the lying rodent now, eh Billy Bunter Brandis … ??? If nothing else, this episode reveals – not for the first time – that the notion of ministerial responsibility to the parliament is not founded upon a corpus of ideal and precedent. Rather, it is merely an instrument to be utilised by a prime minister when a minister’s position is hopelessly untenable, and that minister is recalcitrant in tendering their resignation. Just ask Sir Ivor Jennings.
What a huge loss, Turnbull has been shown yet again to be a person without integrity and balls.
Too true Bushby, Brandis and Turnbull are both fully accountable for this gross miscarriage of parliamentary justice. Arrogant pig and spineless wonder.
An opening for Heydon or Carmody perhaps?
My thoughts exactly
Hopefully Labor will elevate Gleeson to the High Court.
The greatest injustice will be if George is elevated to the High Court at some stage, as seems to be his ambition based on reports.
I’m thinking of that suburban solicitor in the Castle as Brandis’ equivalent, what was his name, Denis Denuto? Although that may be defamatory to Mr Denuto.
Surely you must be a person of proven probity to aspire to the High Court?
To be elevated to the high court one doesn’t have to be of proven probity. Section 72 of the Constitution provides that justices may be removed only on the address of both house of parliament for ‘proved misbehaviour or incapacity’ which unfortunately would not catch even even Brandis.