A political adviser has been suspended by the Family First Party in South Australia for leaking confidential ABC salary details to News Limited.

Staffer Rikki Lambert has confirmed to the ABC he gave the pay details to The Australian newspaper.

It published salary details of key ABC staff last week and state breakdowns were published in other News Limited papers.

The ABC acknowledged last week it gave the pay information in error to a South Australian MP.

Family First's Robert Brokenshire later confirmed it came with information he had requested about corporation staffing.

891 ABC Adelaide presenter Matthew Abraham told listeners this morning: "We received a statement purporting to be from the staffer from the office of Rob Brokenshire confirming that they gave this information over (to The Australian)."

In part it read: "Mr Brokenshire had no idea I had given the electronic document to The Australian."

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 12 minutes 45 seconds 12 m Hear the ABC interview with MP Robert Brokenshire about the leak Download 5.8 MB

It said Mr Brokenshire had made clear a year earlier that he wanted the information deleted.

Abraham said the email statement arrived from an unfamiliar address and the local radio team made a check with Mr Lambert about whether it was genuine.

Robert Brokenshire said he had suspended the staffer

"We then sent a text to the staffer, that is Rikki Lambert, and said, 'Is this email from you?' and got a text back saying, 'It's legit (legitimate)," the breakfast presenter said.

Mr Brokenshire said he had suspended a staff member while he considers what to do next in response to the leak.

Pressed on air by the ABC breakfast team, the Upper House MP would not name the staffer even when Mr Lambert's name was put to him.

But Mr Brokenshire confirmed the information in the statement that he had not wanted the pay data kept.

"My instruction over a year ago was that that information was not to be used and was not to go anywhere, and as far as I was concerned it was in the recycle bin," he said.

As for why the sensitive pay data was given to The Australian, Mr Lambert's email statement said: "By providing an electronic document to The Australian I wanted a focus on ABC expansion in Sydney and how that growth unfairly treats the rest of the ABC. Subsequent coverage has raised legitimate questions about pay discrimination on gender and regional location and confirmed sources’ claims about incredible Sydney budget growth."