George Brandis is a hypocrite

George Brandis QC, Governor-General

George Brandis is a hypocrite.  The new Governor-General, who was outraged by Labor MPs rorting their travel expenses, has been found guilty of doing it himself.

Two years ago, when Senator Brandis was in opposition, he went to the wedding of right-wing Sydney broadcaster Michael Smith.  He had a great time at the wedding venue - John Singleton's boutique hotel Bells at Killcare, just north of Sydney.  He enjoyed himself immensely and the groom said at the time "Fair dinkum, he was tearing up the dance floor and every young chick there wanted to dance with George."

But Mr Brandis took a different view, he said it wasn't a "social" occasion but a "professional" one and he had no hesitation in claiming expenses of almost $1700 which included return flights, hire car and overnight expenses.

Mark Dreyfus

Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus says Mr Brandis is the wrong person to draw up a new code of conduct for MPs. "The fact that Mr Brandis - after initially trying to defend his actions today - has now scrambled to repay the money when it was clear that no one was buying his excuses, clearly demonstrating the breach" he said. "Senator Brandis has demanded that others meet standards that he is not prepared to meet himself."

There's something very tacky about this esteemed QC, who oozes arrogance and piety, going to a wedding, which is clearly a "social" occasion, and refusing to put his hand in his pocket.  Our new Governor-General who set a trap for others, got caught in it himself and this incident will be remembered by many for years to come.