Government News Index
Heffernan's future his own: Costello
AAP
22mar02
IT was up to Liberal senator Bill Heffernan to decide whether to stay in the Senate or quit after his attack on High Court judge Michael Kirby, Treasurer Peter Costello has said.
Senator Heffernan last week used parliamentary privilege to accuse Justice Kirby of picking up rent boys, but the claims turned out to be unfounded and Senator Heffernan apologised.
He was sacked on Monday as cabinet secretary.
"Whether Senator Heffernan resigns from the Senate or not is a matter for him," Mr Costello told reporters. "It's not something I make a decision on, it's a matter for him.
"He obviously regrets very deeply what happened this week.
"I want to make it clear that should never have happened and Senator Heffernan has done what I consider to be the right thing, that is, he has issued an apology, the judge has graciously accepted it."
Mr Costello said the Liberal Party had made no moves against Senator Heffernan.
"Senator Heffernan obviously is the only person who can decide on his future career, but I want to make it clear on behalf of the Liberal Party that the Liberal Party was given no advance notice," he said.
"It didn't approve and didn't authorise this and we made that entirely clear by the dismissal of Senator Heffernan."
Asked if party donors could shy away if Senator Heffernan stayed in parliament, Mr Costello said the party's supporters appreciated the government's economic management.
The disgraced Liberal senator is Prime Minister John Howard's representative on the New South Wales state executive meeting this week ahead of the NSW Liberal Party convention in Sydney at the weekend.
Some are forecasting a showdown over the Heffernan affair at the two-day convention.