THE HON MARK DREYFUS QC MP SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE ARTS MEMBER FOR ISAACS

MEDIA RELEASE BRANDIS NEEDS TO COME CLEAN ON CABINET DOCUMENTS Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus QC has called on Senator Brandis to explain why this morning he claimed no documents had een handed o!er to the Go!ernment"s #oyal Commission$ only to e contradicted y the Department of %rime Minister and Ca inet hours later& '(t took two days for Senator Brandis to respond to media reports that he had reached ))* years of esta lished practice$ y reaking the ca inet confidentiality of the former +a or Go!ernment$, Mr Dreyfus said& '-a!ing finally roken his silence$ we now ha!e three different positions from the Go!ernment on the same day& '.his morning Senator Brandis denied that any documents had een handed o!er to his #oyal Commission& 'A few hours later$ under /uestioning in Senate 0stimates$ he would only confirm that documents relating to the Attorney-General"s Department had not een pro!ided& '1ow we disco!er that Ca inet documents were pro!ided weeks ago to the #oyal Commission y the A ott Go!ernment$ !ia the Attorney-General"s Department& '2nder /uestioning in Senate 0stimates a Deputy Secretary of the Department of %rime Minister and Ca inet re!ealed that the decision to hand o!er the documents had een made y the %rime Minister in 3anuary& 'Senator Brandis is claiming not to e aware of the actions of his own %rime Minister$ and his own Department '0!ery go!ernment since 4ederation has protected the confidentiality of ca inet deli erations&

'.he A ott Go!ernment has taken the ca inet documents of a former go!ernment and gi!en them to their own #oyal Commission without any process& '.his is a out the simple principle that Ca inet confidentiality supports ro ust collecti!e decision making and responsi ility&, MONDAY, 24 FEBRUARY 2014