The Senate Officially Censured George Brandis Over His Treatment Of Gillian Triggs

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Published

March 2, 2015

Attorney General George Brandis has copped an official censure motion in the Senate, following the successful lobbying of the Labor Party. The censure motion was moved against Brandis after his attacks on Professor Gillian Triggs, the President of the Human Rights Commission, continued in official Parliamentary proceedings today.

In essence, a Censure motion is an expression of disapproval or no confidence from the Senate. Though it does not carry with it any direct consequences, it does represent something of a political slap on the wrist. In essence, it’s a stern but professional way for the rest of the Senate to say “stop it” to the Senator in question; a writ of shut the fuck up, if you will.

Penny Wong and the Labor side of the room lead the censure motion, stating that Senator Brandis had failed to defend Professor Triggs from malicious attacks, and had personally attacked the independence of the AHRC.

The motion, in full, read as follows.

“I move that the senate censures the attorney-general (Senator Brandis) for:

(1) failing to defend the President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Professor Gillian Triggs, from malicious attacks;

(2) seeking to obtain the resignation of Professor Triggs by facilitating the offer of an alternative role that would have required her to relinquish her position as President;

(3) refusing to fully account for his conduct when appearing before a committee of the Senate;

(4) undermining Australia’s commitment to upholding human rights; and

(5) being unfit to hold the office of Attorney-General.”

Labor has successfully carried a censure motion against George Brandis over his treatment of Gillian Triggs. #auspol
https://t.co/RETnZr9E5M

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) March 2, 2015

The motion passed by a vote of 35 to 32, with Labor’s successful push joined by the Greens, Jacqui Lambie, Dio Wang, and Glenn Lazarus. Whilst the Coalition were joined by Bob Day and Nick Xenophon.

Brandis becomes the third Liberal Senator of this Government to receive a successful Senate Censure motion, following Assistant Health Minister Senator Fiona Nash, and then-Defence minister Senator David Johnston, both of whom were sanctioned in 2014.

It’s also worth noting that Brandis becomes the first Attorney-General in Australian Parliamentary history to have a Senate Censure motion successfully moved against him.

Photo: Bradley Kanaris via Getty Images.

via The Guardian.