Senator Lambie has been subject to lots of commentary surrounding her backflip on mandatory vaccination. In the context of this large amount of conversation and the fact the phone number was already available in the public domain, there is nothing to prove that the inclusion of the phone number in the periphery of my post was the cause of Senator Lambie receiving calls.
Anyone may have acquired Senator Lambies number from the numerous other sources in the public domain and contacted her. The leaking of private confidential information should be condemned. This number was not leaked, and it was not private, being already available in the public domain.
Transcript
Yesterday Senator Lambie falsely claimed under parliamentary privilege that I had leaked her private personal phone number.
Senators Birmingham and Wong falsely implied I had published private information.
This ambush was coordinated for the start of question time in front of journalists.
With no warning, so that I could not fully address the false claims and ask Senators Lambie, Birmingham and Wong to withdraw them as I now do.
The phone number in question was not private.
Senator Lambie herself has posted the number to her FaceBook page multiple times, as far back as 2019.
It’s readily available on the internet in letters and posts Senator Lambie previously published.
The criticisms made yesterday were based on the claim that this number was private and confidential. This is evidently not the case; the phone number was already in the public domain and remains so.
It’s not possible to ‘leak’ a phone number already in the public domain. Nor is it private.
The phone number was in the periphery of a post that I re-posted and that focused on a reversal of Senator Lambie’s stance against injection mandates to now supporting mandates.
The post did not emphasise the phone number nor call on anyone to contact Senator Lambie.
Senator Lambie’s own FaceBook followers condemned her speech against Senator Hanson’s bill on Monday. Senator Lambie needs to take responsibility for her own comments, those of her FaceBook followers and for repeatedly posting her phone number.
Breaches of privacy should be condemned.
Senator Lambie’s number was not leaked. It was not private. It was already in the public domain.
I ask that Senators Lambie, Wong and Birmingham withdraw any comments accusing me of leaking a private number and to apologise for them.
Both senate leaders showed yet again that decisions, policies and legislation are all too often based on opinions and hearsay, not data and facts. And for that the people of Australia pay needlessly, heavily and daily.
