Brandis, the Shadow Attorney-General and senator for Queensland, slammed McClelland for even considering implementing the Act, which he labeled a "dangerous and foolish idea which would have diminished the authority of Parliament and politicised the judiciary."

In an unforgiving assessment of McClelland's time in office thus far, Brandis said the Attorney-General's decision to scrap the Human Rights Act was "the latest in a growing line of stalled reforms, policy failures and promises which have amounted to nothing."

Brandis said McClelland was unable to "kick a goal" and cited delays and confusion regarding national reform of the legal profession and the "near collapse" of the legal aid system due to persistent underfunding, as further "failures".