Sky News' David Speers was just as confused as George Brandis after the Attorney-General struggled to explain the concept of 'metadata' live on air.

AUSTRALIANS don’t need much of an excuse to pay out on the pollies when they stuff up spectacularly.

So Attorney-General George Brandis was like a lamb to the slaughter when quizzed by Sky News presenter David Spears over the government’s controversial pursual of mandatory data retention laws.

Mr Brandis said the electronic signature of websites could be recorded under the new laws, but clicks within a particular website would not.

“When you visit a website, people browse from one thing to the next (within the same site),” he told Sky News.

“That browsing history won’t be retained and there won’t be any capacity to access that.”

However, the metadata being sought by agencies included the electronic addresses of visited websites, as well as which computer accessed them, the time they were accessed and the durations, he said.

Confused?

It seems the AG wasn’t the only one struggling to understand it.

Just hours earlier the Prime Minister had weighed in on the debate when he tried to explain what types of customer metadata telecommunications companies would be required to retain (for a period of two years).

The PM’s office later clarified that browser history wasn’t metadata and government agencies would still need a warrant to access such information.

Glad we’ve cleared that up then.

The interview topped off a bad week for Mr Brandis who today confirmed he pulled out of a speaking engagement at a free speech symposium to attend an MH17 service.

Mr Brandis was meant to be the keynote speaker at the Australian Human Rights Commission’s symposium in Sydney, which comes just days after the government decided to ditch plans to change racial discrimination laws.

A spokesman says Mr Brandis pulled out of the forum late yesterday because the issue he was due to speak about “was no longer on the table”.

Acting Greens Leader Adam Bandt this morning said George Brandis is a “hopeless Minister with a dangerous policy” and should reconsider his job.

“You’ve got an Attorney General who cannot even explain what [his proposal to access metadata] is,” he told Sky News.

“If I were George Brandis I’d be having a serious think at the moment about falling on my sword [because] he’s certainly not an asset for this government and he’s certainly not an asset for the Australian people.”

Meanwhile, it didn’t take long for social media to react over the Brandis Sky News interview which was described as a “car crash.”

Some people questioned why the government was trying to explain a policy it didn’t even understand itself.

Others just found it plain hilarious and painful.

Hey George Brandis! It can't be THAT hard! It's either a one or a two! #metadata — the voise of reezon (@commentageous) August 6, 2014

You just know that Brandis will use metadata to find everyone who viewed his train-wreck Sky interview and leak the info to ASIO. #auspol — Major Tom (@cyenne40) August 6, 2014

Watching George Brandis trying to explain metadata was very very funny. @BreakfastNews — AshGhebranious (@AshGhebranious) August 6, 2014

Just when we think the STUPID has run out, @TonyAbbottMHR & his tech head mate Brandis open their mouths again! #MetaGovt#MetaStupid — Glenys (@glenpen60) August 6, 2014

#auspol NEWSFLASH: Ricky Muir to give advice to George Brandis about the professional way to handle media interviews. — Ian Schilling (@Twobob13) August 6, 2014

They say"if you haven't done anything wrong,you have nothing to fear"! #auspol #brandis George should stick to books pic.twitter.com/OcoF8ZeW1Z — #FIXtheBudgetFAIRLY! (@johndory49) August 6, 2014