Calls grow for early election, Opposition leader doubles down on calling Prime Minister ‘arrogant prick’

Labor is defending making a public interest immunity claim for Cabinet documents on counter-terrorism financing ahead of the Bondi attack in December, as revealed by ASIO boss Mike Burgess at the Antisemitism Royal Commission.

The government may claim immunity from requests or orders from a court or parliament to produce documents on the grounds that this would be detrimental to the public interest.

Environment Minister Murray Watt said it is long-standing convention that governments may claim public interest immunity, but added that the royal commissioner may reject the claim if necessary.

“What we have done is provided a series of documents to the royal commission, some of which have been redacted to remove Cabinet references and other national security information,” he said.

“But the Royal Commissioner is fully within her rights to reject the government’s claim of public interest immunity.”

Earlier today, Attorney General Michelle Rowland made similar comments, saying the government’s action was not “new.”

“It is an established legal principle that Cabinet documents and similar information confer immunity from the public in legal proceedings and royal commissions, but it is also important to note that decisions about whether to make Cabinet information public are ultimately a matter for the commissioner,” she told the ABC.