Palmer uses parliamentary privilege to accuse Liberal National minister Brough of asking him to fund James Ashby’s legal case against the former Speaker

Clive Palmer has told parliament Mal Brough asked him for substantial legal funding to help “destroy” the former speaker Peter Slipper because there was evidence “to put Peter Slipper away for a very long time”.

Malcolm Turnbull defends Mal Brough over investigation into Slipper leaks Read more

Palmer, who raised the allegations under the protection of parliamentary privilege on Wednesday, said no figure was mentioned in the April 2012 meeting on the Sunshine Coast, but he understood the legal costs would amount to at least $200,000.

The allegations intensify pressure on Brough, the special minister of state, who has confirmed the Australian federal police executed a search warrant on his home last week seeking documents relating to his contact with Slipper’s former staffer James Ashby.

Ashby launched a sexual harassment case that led to Slipper – the then member for the seat of Fisher – standing aside and ultimately resigning as speaker in 2012. Brough defeated Slipper for the seat of Fisher at the 2013 election and was elevated to the ministry as Malcolm Turnbull’s special minister of state two months ago.

Palmer addressed the parliament after the Labor frontbencher Mark Dreyfus read into the parliamentary record passages from an AFP search warrant alleging that Brough have “counselled and procured” Ashby to access Slipper’s diary in 2012 contrary to criminal laws.

Palmer spoke about an April 2012 meeting with Brough at Palmer’s Sunshine Coast resort. He said Brough “requested that I fund the legal costs of Mr Ashby and, while no exact cost was discussed with the member for Fisher, who later ran against Mr Slipper in Fisher, I understood the cost would be at least $200,000”.

“The member for Fisher [Brough] stated to me that we needed to destroy Peter Slipper and he had all the evidence to put Peter Slipper away for a very long time. I was not told what the evidence was, nor how the honourable member acquired it,” Palmer told the House of Representatives.

“I refused the request from the member for Fisher. I did not think it was appropriate then, and I don’t think it is now, that a person funds another person’s legal action designed to cause a third party’s demise for political reasons.

“It’s especially not appropriate for a citizen seeking election to this house or selection to the ministry canvassing for money and support to seek to damage individuals’ reputation by commencing court actions for what could only be an improper purpose.”

Palmer said the former treasurer, Joe Hockey, had been staying at the resort at the time and “walked past the table” where they were sitting and “merely sat down to have a coffee”. But Palmer said there was no mention of Ashby case when Hockey was there.

Palmer is a former Liberal National party member and donor who subsequently started his own party – Palmer United – and won the adjoining seat of Fairfax at the 2013 election. He has previously aired similar claims, which Brough denied at the time. Brough’s office declined to comment on the allegations on Wednesday.

Warrant suggests federal police are investigating Mal Brough over diary leak Read more

Dreyfus, the shadow attorney general, told parliament the Australian people deserved answers about Brough’s “grubby” role in “one of the most tawdry episodes” of the Tony Abbott era.



“This was part of a conspiracy between the member for Fisher and two employees of the speaker of this house, which involved taking parts of the speaker’s diary,” Dreyfus said.

“The aim of the member for Fisher was to destroy the Speaker and to take his seat and it appears that he would stoop to any means to achieve that aim.”



Dreyfus had earlier asked Turnbull during question time how Brough could retain responsibility for integrity in government “when an AFP search warrant states, and I quote, in part: ‘Between 23 March and 13 April 2012 ... Malcolm Thomas Brough ... counselled and procured James Hunter Ashby to access restricted data, namely of the former Speaker of the House of Representatives ... official diary, contrary to section 478 ... of the criminal code 1995’”.

Turnbull dead-batted the question. “The honourable member would know, as a queen’s counsel, that there is no new information about this matter since he asked me the same question yesterday and so, therefore, I refer him to the answer I gave him yesterday,” the prime minister said.

Brough was also asked about the contents of the search warrant during question time. Brough referred to the media statement he issued last week and said he had “nothing further to add” in relation to the allegations.

In the statement, Brough said: “I can confirm reports that the AFP visited me on Tuesday requesting any documentation relating to allegations involving the disclosure of diary notes of Mr Slipper. I can also confirm that I provided the exact same material to the AFP as I previously provided to the federal court. Furthermore I advised the AFP that I would be happy to meet with them at any time in the future if need be.”

The downfall of Slipper was a contentious episode in the previous hung parliament. The Gillard government elevated Slipper, a former Liberal National party member, to the position of Speaker in 2011, a decision that had the effect of firming up Labor’s numbers in the finely balanced parliament.

In December 2012, a federal court judge, Steven Rares, threw out Ashby’s sexual harassment case on the grounds of abuse of process, finding Ashby had launched the proceedings “to pursue a political attack against Mr Slipper” and had acted “in combination” with another staffer and Brough.



Rares’s orders were subsequently set aside, but Ashby ultimately decided against continuing with the case.

The controversy was revived in September 2014 when the Nine Network’s 60 Minutes program broadcast a lengthy segment on the Ashby matter. It included an exchange in which the journalist Liz Hayes asked Brough: “Did you ask James Ashby to procure copies of Peter Slipper’s diary for you?”

Federal police say inquiry into leaking of Peter Slipper's diary is still active Read more

The program included a reply from Brough: “Yes I did.”

Guardian Australia revealed in September 2015 – a day after Brough was sworn in as the special minister of state – that the Australian federal police were still actively investigating the alleged unauthorised disclosure of Slipper’s diaries in 2012.

In February, Slipper won a legal battle in the Australian Capital Territory supreme court to overturn his conviction for dishonestly using taxpayer-funded taxi vouchers worth nearly $1,000 to visit wineries outside Canberra in 2010. The court highlighted considerable uncertainty over the definition of parliamentary business.