The Dreyfus Affair
A Liberal senator has compared with Attorney-GeneralMark Dreyfus with Alfred Dreyfus, the French army officer accused of treason at the end of the 19th century.
Senator Paul Scarr
Mark Dreyfus has been attacked by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton for having a conflict of interest by indirectly owning shares in a company that finances litigation.
However, Queensland Liberal senator Paul Scarr has added to the stoush by comparing Mark Dreyfus to the French officer Alfred Dreyfus, a victim of an antisemitic assault.
Senator Scarr told the Senate: “The Dreyfus Affair. This will be known as the Dreyfus Affair. Just as Captain Dreyfus ended up on the literal devil’s island in French Guinea, I suspect the Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus will end up on the devil’s Island of the ministerial code of conduct.”
Josh Burns MP, Federal Labor Member for Macnamara, told J-Wire: “Someone in the Liberal Party needs to give this Senator a history lesson. His speech is completely inappropriate”.
The opposition claims Mr Dreyfus’ self-managed superannuation fund indirectly owns shares in litigation funder Omni Bridgeway.
Mr Dreyfus told Parliament “I can assure Members of this House that I have complied at all times with the code of conduct for ministers.”
Government ministers are not allowed to own shares personally.
President of the Zionist Federation of Australia, Jeremy Leibler, told J-Wire: “Senator Scarr’s comments were ill-informed and offensive. Albert Dreyfus was falsely accused, tried, stripped of his title and exiled because he was a Jew. No matter the allegations that Senator Scarr might want to level against the Attorney-General, his analogy to the Dreyfus Affair is wrong. He should withdraw the comment and apologise.”
J-Wire has contacted Senator Scarr for comment
