Senator BRANDIS (Queensland—Attorney-General, Vice-President of the Executive Council and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (15:17): We have just heard from Senator O'Neill a classic example of the way the Labor Party chooses to attack important political issues, and that is to build conjecture upon hypothesis upon speculation upon outright falsehoods. What we have heard from Senator O'Neill absolutely falls into that category. There has been some discussion—and you might care to wait for this, Senator O'Neill, because I am about to point out why what you just said to the Senate was not the truth— Senator Williams: Don't leave, Deb. Stay here. Senator BRANDIS: We heard from Senator Farrell and from Senator O'Neill, who is now skulking out of the chamber, some propositions attributed to Senator Parry on the basis of words quoted in an article by the respected journalist Michelle Grattan on the website The Conversation. It was asserted— Senator O'Neill: A point of order, Acting Deputy President: I chose to leave the Senate chamber to do other work. I refuse to allow my departure to be described by Senator Brandis as 'skulking' out of the chamber. It is entirely inappropriate and he should withdraw. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Sterle ): Senator O'Neill, it's not a point of order, but, Minister, Senator O'Neill has not 'skulked out'. She is here. I ask you to withdraw. Senator BRANDIS: She is still here; I am glad about that, because I am about to point out— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Minister, I am just asking you to— Senator BRANDIS: I will withdraw if you want me to. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I ask you to withdraw. Senator BRANDIS: Senator O'Neill, if you care to wait, your error can be pointed out to you. But you obviously won't do that. Much has been made of words quoted by Michelle Grattan in an article on The Conversation website. Senator Wong, then Senator Farrell and now Senator O'Neill—none of whom, by the way, have delayed in the Senate chamber to hear the truth—have asserted that a reference in direct speech in Michelle Grattan's article is somehow proof that Senator Parry has said to Michelle Grattan that he had spoken to various ministers. I've just spoken to former Senator Parry in the last 10 minutes. Senator Parry tells me, and he has authorised me to tell the chamber, that he has never spoken to Michelle Grattan about this matter, ever. And he has also authorised me to tell the chamber that he has never used the words that are said to be attributed to him by the Labor Party in the article by Michelle Grattan—to any person, ever. So that is the truth. The truth is that the entire case made against our former colleague Stephen Parry is based on a falsehood. I tried to make this point to Senator Wong across the table during question time, but, of course, she rudely refused to listen to me. I tried to point out that on a reasonable reading of this article in The Conversation the words in direct speech are not said by Michelle Grattan to be the words of Stephen Parry. Nevertheless, the Australian Labor Party has mounted its entire case on the assertion that they are. But we now know that they are not, because Senator Parry never spoke to Michelle Grattan and never used those words to anyone.