back to article Good job, Oz feds: Conroy wants you investigated for privilege and contempt

As was inevitable, the fate of the “NBN documents” is off to the Australian Senate's privileges committee. The referral to the committee was a formality, since nobody in the Senate wants to find themselves raided by the Australian Federal Police for receiving leaked documents. However, Senator Stephen Conroy, chief target of …

  1. Big-nosed Pengie
    Facepalm

    Welcome to the Banana Republic of Australia.

    1. GrumpyKiwi

      LOL from this side of the Tasman

      Us lot on the right side of the Tasman already knew that when you went through six (shortly to be seven) prime ministers in 9 years.

      Viva El Primo Ministero!

      1. Youngone Silver badge

        Re: LOL from this side of the Tasman

        It's weird isn't it? You almost get the feeling that the Murdochs and the Packers can't make up their minds who they want in the job.

        1. GrumpyKiwi

          Re: LOL from this side of the Tasman

          Dunno. I've never needed to look to conspiracy to explain what incompetency already covers...

    2. Magani
      Happy

      We have a winner!

      "Welcome to the Banana Republic of Australia."

      You are Paul Keating and I claim my prize.

  2. Adam 1

    "For most practical purposes, Parliament House is regarded as the only place of its kind and one in which the two Houses through their Presiding Officers have exclusive jurisdiction. Thus in Parliament House the police are subject to the authority of the Speaker and President and their powers are limited by the powers and privileges of the respective Houses. Such limitations are not based on any presumed sanctity attached to the building as such, but on the principle that the Parliament should be able to conduct its business without interference or pressure from any outside source"

    - Advice of Attorney-General‘s Department, concerning powers of police within the precincts of Parliament House, 1967. And see Parliamentary Precincts Act 1988.

    Whatever one thinks of the man with the red underpants on peoples' heads fettish, the AFP would be well advised to tread very carefully. These rules are deliberately designed to constrain the power of the police to interfere with the operation of the house.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "on the principle that the Parliament should be able to conduct its business without interference or pressure from any outside source"

      Unfortunately it has been set up to conduct its business with no effective scrutiny from any outside force as well.

      1. Faceless Man

        Whose fault is that, then?

        Ultimately, the responsibility for public scrutiny lies with, well, the public. If we're not happy with the level of openness, then we should elect people who are more open.

        There are obstacles put in place to protect the two party system that limit our ability to do so. And far too often the alternatives to the major parties are even less palatable, but it is ultimately our responsibility to hold the parliament to account. The current press don't seem to want to do it. What we need is better organisation.

  3. Winkypop Silver badge
    FAIL

    Meanwhile in the burbs.....

    ....[BUFFERING]....

  4. Diogenes

    Legally he wasn't a senator , and they weren't "his" offices

    One of the interesting side effects of a double dissolution is that this is the only time there are no senators, as otherwise senators are elected for set periods. Therefore he should have put those documents into some form of 'escrow' from when the GG dissolved the Senate until until he took office as a senator last week.

  5. nannystate

    10 Year Anniversary of FAIL

    10 years on from the ACCC blocking Telstra's offer to build and fund a new network. http://whirlpool.net.au/news/?id=1656

    Instead we got an incompetent government run monopoly building out a network at the rate of two to three suburbs every election cycle. Not to mention TPG and Vocus waiting in the wings to build infrastructure but being blocked by NBN legislation.

  6. This post has been deleted by its author

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