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Heffernan a liability: Downer
March 22 2002
Senator Bill Heffernan had proved a liability to the Liberal Party in recent weeks, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said today.
But Mr Downer stopped short of calling for him to quit parliament.
Like Prime Minister John Howard, Mr Downer said Senator Heffernan had suffered enough through being humiliated and sacked from his parliamentary secretary position.
"He has been a liability to the Liberal Party in the last couple of weeks. There is no question of that," he told reporters.
"I don't think anybody in Australia would argue with that."
Senator Heffernan last week used parliamentary privilege to accuse Justice Kirby of picking up rent boys, but the claims turned out to be based on a false document and Senator Heffernan apologised.
He was sacked on Monday as cabinet secretary.
Mr Downer said the question of someone elected to parliament remaining in the parliament was a matter for themselves alone.
He said Senator Heffernan had been justifiably punished.
"He did the wrong thing and I always felt he had done the wrong thing," he said.
Mr Downer said Justice Michael Kirby had demonstrated his characteristic grace by accepting Senator Heffernan's apology.
"I don't think that we need to continue pillorying people any more," he said.
"We have been through a very sorry period of people being pilloried over the last month or so.
"It would be very nice to go for a few days without any Australians being pilloried any further."
AAP
The Age
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