Malcolm Turnbull announces that special minister of state and defence materiel minister is to stand down ‘pending the completion of inquiries by the police’

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Mal Brough has stood down as special minister of state pending a police investigation into his role in the downfall of the damaged former Speaker Peter Slipper.

“The Hon Mal Brough MP and I have agreed that he will stand aside as special minister of state and minister for defence materiel and science pending the completion of inquiries by the police,” a statement by the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, said.

“In offering to stand aside Mr Brough has done the right thing, recognising the importance of the government maintaining an unwavering focus on jobs, economic growth and national security.”

Mal Brough, Peter Slipper's diary and #Ashbygate: the key issues explained Read more

The finance minister, Mathias Cormann, will take on the special minister of state portfolio, and the defence minister, Marise Payne, will cover off defence materiel and science, Turnbull said.

Police are investigating whether Brough broke the law by urging a former staffer, James Ashby, to release extracts of Slipper’s diary.

Brough has been under intense political scrutiny over the downfall of Slipper, whose Queensland seat of Fisher Brough won in the 2013 federal election.

In November, Australian federal police searched Brough’s Sunshine Coast home after allegations the diary had been illegally copied.

Turnbull backed the former special minister of state at the time.

“The answer is yes, I do have confidence in Mr Brough,” the prime minister said. “There are rules relating to ministers and cabinet ministers, but at this stage there’s nothing to suggest that Mr Brough should stand aside or do anything of that kind.”



Brough’s conduct, and Turnbull’s backing of him, was a key focus of the last fortnight of parliament, with Labor hammering the duo during question time. Attempts by Labor to censure Brough and Turnbull failed.

The ministerial purging coincides with the minister for cities and the built environment, Jamie Briggs, also announcing that he will step down from the frontbench after a complaint from a female public servant about his conduct during a night out in Hong Kong.

• This story was amended on 31 December 2015 to describe Peter Slipper as “damaged” rather than “disgraced”, given that in the ACT supreme court in February 2015 he was cleared on appeal of fraud convictions.