Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Brandis. I refer to part 7.2 of the statement of ministerial standards which provides that 'ministers will be required to stand aside if the Prime Minister regards their conduct as constituting a prima facie breach of the standards' which mandate they must act in accordance with the law. Why has the Prime Minister not required the Special Minister of State, Mr Brough, to stand aside?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Because, Senator Wong, there is no reason to believe that that standard has been breached by Mr Brough. Mr Brough has not been charged with any offence. There is, as is well known and acknowledged, a police investigation in relation to certain matters concerning the former member for Fisher, Mr Slipper. It is known that search warrants were executed last week. To have a search warrant executed is not an indicium of criminality. It is not an indication that any offence has been committed.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Did the Prime Minister ask Mr Brough for an account of his role in the James Ashby affair before he appointed him as Special Minister of State?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am not privy to what conversations Prime Minister Turnbull had with Mr Brough, but I can tell you that Mr Brough would not have been appointed as the Special Minister of State unless the Prime Minister, at the time he made that appointment, had confidence in him.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, firstly, I would ask that the minister take on notice the previous question, which he declined to answer on the basis that he was not privy to the discussion. I also ask a further supplementary question: did the Prime Minister ask other ministers, including the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science and the Assistant Minister for Innovation, to account for their roles in the James Ashby affair before he appointed them to his ministry?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said to you in answer to the first supplementary question, Senator Wong, I am not privy to the conversations that Mr Turnbull had with those whom he appointed to his ministry. But in respect of each person appointed to the ministry, the appointment would not have been made unless Mr Turnbull had confidence that that person was an appropriate person to be appointed to the ministry.