Senator David Leyonhjelm says email proves there was a deal over Adler shotgun

MALCOLM Turnbull had directly contradicted Tony Abbott, in a development that should worsen the strain on their relationship.

Senator David Leyonhjelm says an email proves there was a deal over the Adler shotgun.

MALCOLM Turnbull directly contradicted Tony Abbott today by insisting the former prime minister’s office had “full knowledge” of a guns-for-votes deal.

This clashed with Mr Abbott’s version given last night: “No deals from me. No deals from my office. No deal.”

Mr Turnbull’s unvarnished rejection of his predecessor’s assurance ensured a calamitous week for the government would continue, and that relations between the two would heat up.

At issue is an agreement reached by Justice Minister Michael Keenan and Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm to put a sunset clause on the ban preventing imports of a lever-action shotgun.

An email to the senator’s office from Mr Keenan’s office at the time — August, 2015 — clearly states that “in return” he would side with the government in a crucial immigration vote.

Mr Abbott said he knew nothing of the agreement and argued he fought to limit the spread of firearms.

But Mr Turnbull told Parliament today: “I have made inquiries of my ministers and can say to the House as a result of those inquiries I’m satisfied that the Minister for Justice acted in the full knowledge of the Prime Minister’s Office at that time.”

Senator Leyonhjelm this morning said it was “inconceivable” Mr Abbott didn’t know of the agreement.

Tony Abbott responded almost immediately but attacked Labor and not Mr Turnbull when he said he had been grievously misrepresented.

He said he had placed a temporary ban on the firearms the month before the Leyonhjelm negotiations.

He asked how there could have been some kind of deal with Senator Leyonhjelm on August 11 or 12 last year when a temporary ban was already in place?

Mr Abbott said on July 23, 2015, a month before the email outlined the gun horse trading, an adviser had related a warning from law enforcement agencies that a shipment of Adler seven-shot firearms was due to arrive in Australia.

“It was a very large shipment indeed of these rapid-fire shotguns, more than seven thousand,” said Mr Abbott, who had been told the load would almost double the number of the lever-action weapons here.

“I should remind the House, if it needs reminding, just how much damage these shotguns could do,” he told Parliament.

Mr Abbott accepted advice that a temporary ban be placed on the importation of the weapons until a review of firearm laws had been completed.

“The advisers note points out that but for the ban these rapid-fire shotguns would be classified at the same level as an air rifle,” he said.

Labor in Question Time today attempted to get confirmation of Mr Abbott’s participation in the deal from Mr Keenan and Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, who acknowledged he had discussed the immigration vote with Senator Leyonhjelm.

Neither minister would comment on the pact.

Senator Leyonhjelm rejects the claim he was “trying to play games with gun laws”. He was seeking a 12-month sunset clause for the ban on the Adler weapon, after which it could be imported.

In return, as the email says, he would vote against a Labor amendment to an immigration bill.

Mr Leyonhjelm, who prefers a rifle over a shot gun when he goes pig hunting, insists the arrangement was approved at ministerial level and higher.

The email David Leyonhjelm says proves there was a deal.

“It’s inconceivable his office wouldn’t have known about it,” he told ABC radio today, referring to Mr Abbott.

But he said there were no direct discussions with Mr Abbott or his office, or directly with Mr Keenan and Mr Dutton.

“A regulation (for the sunset clause) was introduced. A regulation could not be introduced just on the say-so of staffers,” he said.

He said: “They wanted my vote on a particular amendment to a bill, an unrelated bill, and in exchange for that we agreed we would implement a subset clause on the ban on the importation of the seven-shot lever-action shotgun.”

The Adler A110 shotgun.

Mr Leyonhjelm said the government broke the deal this August when the ban was not lifted. The government says it could not allow the gun into Australia because states had not decided on how to classify it.

Last night Mr Abbott suggested to the ABC’s 7.30 the pact might have come from a ministerial staffer.

“But as far as I’m concerned as Prime Minister, the instant I heard these guns were destined for Australia in large numbers, these rapids-fire guns, I said ‘No’,” he said.

“A staffer in a ministerial office ... no deals from me ... no deals from my office ... no deal.”