MOTIONS › Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability
Senator PATRICK (South Australia) (12:45): I seek leave to make a short statement. The PRESIDENT: Leave is granted for one minute. Senator PATRICK: Centre Alliance makes no disparaging remarks against the people that are involved in this, but there is a principle called apprehended bias. You'll be familiar with it in the courts. If there is a perceived conflict of interest, judges will normally recuse themselves, not because there is bias but because there's an apprehension of bias, and an innocent bystander who walks past the court must always be fully confident as to the impartiality. That's the issue here. So we will be supporting the motion, but we make no disparaging remarks against the highly qualified and esteemed people that have been named in the motion.