Allegations Against Attorney-General
On 16 November 2006, Debnam suggested under Parliamentary Privilege that NSW Attorney-General Bob Debus was under investigation by the Police Integrity Commission. In response, the Government released a police report stating that a minister had been the subject of complaints (not an investigation), and that they were dismissed in 2003 as spurious and groundless. The report did not name the minister concerned as it was, deemed to be 'not in the public interest'. When Mr Debnam declined to provide evidence to support his claims, he was censured by Parliament for misleading the House.
It was subsequently reported that Debnam's source for the accusation was a convicted child sex offender and bank robber with a history of making unsubstantiated allegations. Opinion poll support for the Opposition leader declined markedly in the wake of the allegations, which also distracted attention from a campaign against the Government over the sacking of Ministers Milton Orkopoulos and Carl Scully.
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