AG under fire for Australian terrorism trial comments
Updated
![Australia's Attorney General Robert McClelland's conduct has been labelled 'foolish'. [ABC]](http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/img/news/base/aus_mcclelland_abc.jpg?<BR> "Australia's Attorney General Robert McClelland's conduct has been labelled 'foolish'. [ABC]")
Australia's Attorney General Robert McClelland's conduct has been labelled 'foolish'. [ABC]
Australia's Federal Attorney General is standing by his decision to speak out about the country's largest terrorism court case before it was completed.
Robert McClelland is refusing to quit his job for commenting after the convictions of six men while the jury was still deliberating over two accused.
He was rebuked by the Victorian trial judge and the Shadow Attorney General George Brandis says the legal fallout isn't over.
"It's most likely that Mr McClelland's premature statement would be one of the grounds of appeal," Mr Brandis said.
"It's certainly incompetence and foolishness. I suspect he was trying to rush out for the evening news."
But Mr McClelland says Senator Brandis is being grossly irresponsible.
"They are effectively becoming advocates for the accused," Mr McClelland said.
Mr McClelland says he was trying to send a message to stop any backlash against Muslims.
"Those circumstances could cause quite some alarm in the community," he said.
"I have a role as Attorney-General to both reassure the community and also to make it clear to specifically clear to the community that while ... people had been convicted of these serious offences, in no way, shape or form should their conduct be sheeted home to the Muslim Australian community."
The Law Society's New South Wales President, Hugh Macken, says the Attorney General did nothing wrong.
"His remarks are perfectly appropriate, indeed they really were to be welcomed," Mr Macken said.
He says Mr McClelland was reassuring the community.
