Senator Rod Culleton departs the High Court of Australia in Canberra on Monday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "We are talking about the constitution," Justice French said to laughter in the court. Senator Culleton then reached for his pocket edition of the founding document, which he said he had taken "a lot of interest in" since being elected to Parliament, but said he needed more time to shape his response to the Commonwealth's argument and "procedural fairness" dictated he be granted it. He'd "popped the question" to Attorney-General George Brandis in relation to assistance in paying for his legal costs, Senator Culleton said, but had not received a response. "I would need at least, to get prepared for this case . . . well into next year, if I was to go at all," Senator Culleton said.

Independent MP Bob Katter arrives at the High Court to show his support for Senator Rod Culleton on Monday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen 'I'm not committing to any dates. ". . . Judge me on my character, judge me as a proud West Australian for my constituents. ". . . I need to financially rehydrate my piggy bank, it's been damaged over the last few months." Adjourning to consider the senator's argument for more time, Justice French returned and said it was in the public interest - that being the composition of the Senate - to resolve the matter quickly, ruling the matter be dealt with next month, with further submissions due by the end of the month.

But he also ruled that given the complexities of the narrow legal argument, if Senator Culleton was unable to appoint his own counsel, the Commonwealth, through Senator Brandis' office, appoint a barrister to make the case to the court against the disqualification, enabling the senator to continue representing himself. "Wouldn't that be [like] sleeping with the enemy?" Senator Culleton asked, not ruling out appealing the decision to the "full bench of the High Court" as he said "it's flogged already before I even look at it". Justice French explained the narrow nature of the case to the senator again, which the senator greeted gleefully, asking whether in the justice's opinion, it was "best we go to George Brandis and we hug . . . and say, is there a way forward?" "I won't comment on your personal relationship," the Justice replied, before dismissing Senator Culleton's matter and moving on to the case of former Senator Bob Day, which he found to be much more legally complicated and adjourned until February. Surrounded by his staff, Senator Culleton took his time leaving the court, allowing Kennedy MP Bob Katter time to arrive and declare his support for the One Nation member, who he said had been dealt "rough justice".

"I'm not, like everyone else, abandoning Culleton, no, I am going to stand right beside him with as much aggression as I can possibly show and one has to have a little bit of suspicion that when you take on the big boys, people like the banks and the major parties of Australia, and it seems to be your own leader, then we get thrown and smashed to pieces and I have just seen this happen too many times," Mr Katter said. "I supported Pauline Hanson when it was happening to her and I am going to support Rod today, when it's happening to him." But despite his support, Mr Katter said he had not approached Senator Culleton to join his party, but had become "very angry" when a third party did. "I said at the time, we don't take rats and if Culleton is leaving a sinking ship or whatever it might be and coming to us, we don't take rats," Mr Katter said. "But I know Culleton and he ain't a rat, right, so he won't come anyway.

". . . But you know, if Rod is out in the cold, these are decisions for him to make . . . and I just wish Pauline was down here showing loyalty to her troops as well. And I'm certain that she'll come back to the fold, but at the present moment, that is not the case. " . . . He's not a rat, his party has ratted on him it would appear . . . and if it turns out, that he hasn't ratted, but he has been ratted on, well that is a horse of a different colour, a very different colour indeed." Emerging himself just moments later, surrounded by his loyal staff Senator Culleton made it clear he was "not a rat" and was "One Nation at the moment", and if he was to go, it would be up to others. As for the case, he said it came down to what "annulment actually means" and he would wait for the government submissions until making his next move. But he said he had already made his mark on Australian political history.

"I've already won," he said. "I've come here, I've got the royal commission [into banks] now, which will go ahead in Perth and I've done it so well for Malcolm [Turnbull], he just has to sign it and drive away no more to pay, I'll even throw a radio in, and we've looked at the courts for a fair go and here we go, we are going to argue about an annulment, I mean really. ". . . I am going to have a jury on this and that is what we want, because I want a fair trial and I do want a jury." But while Senator Culleton would not comment on his party leader's support, or lack of it, he sought to downplay any suggestions his mental health was suffering as a result of the case. "Can I be very frank with you - my wife is a psychologist and I can tap in 24/7 and the last report I got out of her, she said I was a machine," he said.

"So I am not mentally deranged at all. In actual fact, I'm learning as we go along. It's character building." Follow us on Twitter