Labor ramps up pressure on Mal Brough over Peter Slipper affair; James Ashby says case like 'bad case of herpes'
Updated
Federal Labor has heaped pressure on Special Minister of State Mal Brough and attempted to censure the Prime Minister over Mr Brough's alleged role in the Peter Slipper affair.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers last week searched Mr Brough's home.
The AFP is investigating allegations former speaker Mr Slipper's diary was illegally copied in 2012 and leaked to Mr Brough.
The Opposition has called for Mr Brough to stand down or be stood aside by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Mr Turnbull elevated Mr Brough to the frontbench in September.
He has continued to back Mr Brough, but said if any new information emerged it would "obviously be considered".
"If there are new developments, obviously they will be considered," he said.
When asked whether he would resign, Mr Brough replied: "After due consideration, no."
Government Senate leader George Brandis defended Mr Brough, along with Innovation Minister Christopher Pyne and Assistant Innovation Minister Wyatt Roy after the trio was recently mentioned on an AFP search warrant.
"There is no reason to believe that there has been any inappropriate conduct by any of those ministers," he said.
"Mr Brough would not have been appointed Special Minister of State unless the Prime Minister, at the time he made that appointment, had confidence in him."
Mr Slipper's former staffer James Ashby called a media conference on the Sunshine Coast to deliver a spirited defence of Mr Brough.
"I don't see any reason why Mal Brough should stand down," Mr Ashby said.
"My dealings with Mal over the past couple of years, and particularly during that period I had his assistance for help, he was always above board.
"This is like a bad case of herpes — it just keeps coming back."
Government grilled in Question Time
In Question Time on Thursday, Labor used all of its nine questions to cross examine the Government over the Slipper affair, failing in its attempt to censure the Prime Minister for appointing Mr Brough as Special Minister of State and for not standing him aside.
As the Government moved to kill the censure motion, Labor frontbencher Tony Burke reminded Parliament about Mr Brough's 2014 interview with 60 Minutes where he admitted asking Mr Ashby to procure the diary.
"He confessed on television. It was on television," Mr Burke said.
Mr Brough dismissed Labor's questions about claims Sunshine Coast MP Clive Palmer raised again yesterday and evidence previously tendered to the Federal Court.
"Integrity is upper most in everything I have ever done and that I will always continue to do," he said.
"I have answered these queries, these allegations in full in the past.
"I refer you to the findings of the full bench of the Federal Court which dealt with all of the evidence put before it and found entirely that I acted appropriately."
Mr Palmer yesterday used Parliamentary privilege to repeat claims Mr Brough asked for an amount nearing $200,000 for a legal case to help "destroy" Mr Slipper.
Mr Palmer — previously an influential figure within the Liberal National Party — said Mr Brough discussed the matter at his Sunshine Coast resort in 2012.
"I just again say to the Honourable Member that when these allegation were made two years ago I responded to them decisively then and those words continue," Mr Brough told Question Time.
Topics: federal-government, federal-parliament, australia
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