No grilling for Xenophon on abuse statement

INDEPENDENT senator Nick Xenophon is likely to avoid being hauled before the Senate privileges committee to respond to his use of parliamentary privilege to name a Catholic priest as the subject of sex-abuse allegations. 

Monsignor Ian Dempsey's letter of complaint about his naming in parliament was admitted to Hansard as a right of reply to Senator Xenophon's speech.

"I was, and am, in no position to influence the timing and course of action in this matter by the archdiocese. You have chosen to shame me publicly in order to address a matter which I have no way of influencing," Monsignor Dempsey's letter said.

But it would be "highly unlikely and unusual" for Senator Xenophon to be called before the committee to defend his use of parliamentary privilege, Senate clerk Rosemary Laing said.

"The privileges committee is there to inquire into contempt and contempt is something that gets in the way of the Senate's ability to get to its job," Dr Laing said. "I don't see how anything that Senator Xenophon, and indeed any other senator, has done in terms of talking about people is a contempt."

She confirmed no notice had been given in the Senate to refer complaints about Senator Xenophon's speech to the privileges committee.

Senate privileges committee chair David Johnston said Monsignor Dempsey's letter was the 61st to be admitted to the Senate under right of reply provisions.

Senator Xenophon said the adequacy of the church's response to Archbishop John Hepworth's allegations of sexual abuse were still unresolved.

"I have confidence that if the Senate resolves an inquiry into what I said, such an inquiry would be fair, thorough and timely, unlike the church's response to Archbishop Hepworth's allegations," he said.

Archbishop Hepworth refrained from comment so he could facilitate what he called "meaningful conversation" with the Archdiocese of Adelaide.

The archbishop was in Canberra for meetings with his legal adviser, John McCarthy QC, in the office of Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Peter Slipper.

Mr McCarthy and Archbishop Hepworth also met with Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, the Apostolic Nuncio, the Vatican's most senior representative in Australia.

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