The revelation that just two MPs had been contacted – each of whom had a pre-existing relationship with Mr Lewis – also weakens any claim that Mr Lewis has been "playing politics" by involving himself in the national debate about the relationship between Islam and violent extremism. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull greets ASIO director-general Duncan Lewis earlier this month. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Speaking to reporters in Japan, Mr Turnbull said that just two MPs, backbenchers Andrew Hastie and Dan Tehan, have been called by Mr Lewis. "Neither of them have been complaining about him or have been referred to in the media," Mr Turnbull said. Mr Hastie is a new MP who knows Mr Lewis personally. Both served in the SAS.

He is one of a number of Liberal MPs who have called for a discussion about the relationship between Islam and its radical fringes, writing recently that Muslim leaders should "lead the Australian public in a discussion about the theological roots of Islamic extremism". Then prime minister Tony Abbott is briefed by ASIO director-general Duncan Lewis on Islamic State in June. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Mr Tehan is the head of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. He has not been critical of Muslim leaders, nor made any strong calls for debate about the role of Islam in terrorism. Mr Hastie declined to comment other than to say firmly he was not the source of the leak to The Australian newspaper about Mr Lewis' calls. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The paper reported on Thursday under the headline, "ASIO chief is 'playing politics', that Mr Lewis had "phoned Coalition politicians to urge them to use the soothing language favoured by Malcolm Turnbull in their public discussion of Islam". Mr Tehan could not be reached immediately for comment. But he has publicly defended Mr Lewis since the story broke. The revelations leave open the possibility that somebody else who heard about the calls was the source of The Australian's story. Mr Turnbull denied that he had asked Mr Lewis to call any particular MPs – an accusation that was made in The Australian's report. "I haven't asked him to give any advice to anybody in particular but I encourage Duncan Lewis to speak to as many people as he can," he said.

In a thinly veiled reference to predecessor Tony Abbott, who wrote a column last week calling for a blunter debate about Islam, Mr Turnbull said Mr Lewis "doesn't just write" about terrorism. "There are some people who like to write about terrorism," he said. "There are some people who like to express theories about terrorism – theories about religions and so forth. That's fine, they're entitled to do that. "Duncan Lewis has actually fought against terrorism. He has led soldiers against terrorism. He is defending Australia today. He knows what he's talking about." Mr Abbott's spokesman said the former prime minister did not receive a call from Mr Lewis. But the spokesman did not respond when asked whether Mr Abbott had been aware of the calls and had told The Australian about them. Australian journalist Greg Sheridan – who has a long-standing close relationship with Mr Abbott – said categorically on Sky News that Mr Abbott had not been a source for the story.

Other conservative MPs questioned by Fairfax Media either confirmed they had not been contacted by Mr Lewis, or refused to say one way or the other. Tasmanian Liberal Eric Hutchinson said: "I can absolutely confirm I have not received any communication. I don't know how this has been leaked." He strongly defended ASIO, saying: "These are professional people doing very important and very difficult work. And if that involved talking to members of Parliament they should be able to do that without any worry." All of those who spoke said they had no problem with the head of ASIO conveying the agency's security assessment. "I'm always happy to listen," said another MP.