Mal Brough stands aside amid police investigation
EMBATTLED Queensland MP Mal Brough remains hopeful he will one day return to the Turnbull ministry after the Prime Minister officially cut himself adrift on Tuesday.
EMBATTLED Queensland MP Mal Brough remains hopeful he will one day return to the Turnbull ministry after the Prime Minister officially cut himself adrift on Tuesday.
Mr Brough stood aside from his posts of Special Minister of State and Minister for Defence Materiel.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had been under pressure to sack Mr Brough since police executed a search warrant on his home in November.
Australian Federal Police are investigating whether Mr Brough illegally procured copies of former House of Representatives Speaker Peter Slipper diaries from Slipper staffer James Ashby.
In a letter to Mr Turnbull, Mr Brough said he had decided to stand aside because he had not received any indication of when the investigation would be concluded.
“It disappoints me that this matter hasn’t been resolved by this time as all the facts have been in the public domain for years and the public statements of Mr Ashby confirm my position that at no time did I procure him for any improper purpose,’’ Mr Brough wrote.
“I look forward to resuming my ministerial responsibilities and assisting with the important work of government once the investigation is complete.”
Mr Slipper said his lawyers had informed police that he was willing to be interviewed at the earliest possible opportunity.
But the police had said the soonest they could arrange an interview was January 5.
Mr Turnbull announced Finance Minister Mathias Cormann would temporarily take over as Special Minster for State.
Defence Minister Marise Payne will take charge of Mr Brough’s Defence duties.
“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,’’ Mr Turnbull said.
Mr Brough came under close scrutiny during the final weeks of Question Time this year after he gave different answers in Parliament to questions about the Slipper Affair to the responses he had given to the same questions during a 60 Minutes interview.
Acting Labor Leader Tanya Plibersek said Mr Turnbull should not have appointed Mr Brough to the ministry while questions remained about his involvement in the Slipper Affair.
“It is very plain that Mr Turnbull is making decisions based purely on the political interests of his government and that he appointed Mal Brough in the first place because Mal Brough was instrumental in knocking off Tony Abbott,’’ Ms Plibersek said.
As Minister for indigenous Affairs in the Howard Government, Mr Brough led the “Northern Territory Intervention” in response to an independent report into child abuse and neglect in indigenous communities.
He lost the seat of Longman at the 2007 election but re-entered parliament after winning the seat of Fisher from Mr Slipper in 2013.