Porter heard Morrison call top cop, as attack on Taylor rolls on

Mr Porter was in the room when the PM sought clarity over ­allegations Mr Taylor’s office doctored a City of Sydney report.

The Australian can confirm Mr Porter was in the room when the PM sought clarity over ­allegations Mr Taylor’s office doctored a City of Sydney report. Picture: AAP

Attorney-General Christian Porter was with Scott Morrison when the Prime Minister phoned NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller. This comes as Labor plans to maintain its attack on Energy Minister Angus Taylor in the year’s final week of parliament.

The Australian has confirmed Mr Porter was in the room when the Prime Minister sought clarity over a police investigation into ­allegations Mr Taylor’s office doctored an annual report from the City of Sydney.

Keeping pressure on the under- siege minister, Anthony Albanese said Mr Morrison “thinks democracy is an inconvenience” as he lashed him for standing by Mr Taylor.

“The Prime Minister is hanging on to this minister, who’s in his third scandal since the parliament resumed. It is just extraordinary that the government has used up so much political capital and what that shows is that Scott Morrison is stubborn,” the Opposition Leader said. “It’s there for all to see — that stubbornness, the lack of judgment, him just getting angry at the temerity of the opposition to ask questions about a minister who misleads parliament.

“This government … thinks that democracy is an inconvenience and that everyone should just sit there quietly like the quiet Australians that Scott Morrison says he’s interested in representing. He wants the whole parliament to be quiet and just ­listen to him.”

Labor has refused to grant Mr Taylor a pair so he can attend the International Energy Association conference in Paris this week.

Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese addresses the media during a press conference in Sydney yesterday. Picture: AAP

Mr Albanese defended the move to block the attendance of the minister at the global forum, declaring Australia needed to be represented by someone with “credibility”.

“This bloke is a laughing stock in international forums … Forget about the fact there’s (a) police investigation. He also is an energy minister without an energy policy,” he said. “This minister should be gone. He shouldn’t be representing Australia in international forums. He should be sitting on the backbench.”

Resources Minister Matt Canavan said the attacks on Mr Taylor were nothing more than Labor tactics. “I think when you look back, you know, on many of these situations involving Angus Taylor, none of them are worth a real molehill, let alone a mountain,” Senator Canavan told Sky News.

Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong said Labor would allow the police investigation to proceed, but indi­cated that the opposition would continue to use the ministerial code of conduct to pressure the cabinet minister to resign.

“This is a bloke who’s used doctored documents, false information, and admitted that they were false, on ministerial correspondence, to attack the Lord Mayor of Sydney,” Senator Wong told the ABC. “He’s doing that instead of doing his job, which is actually tackling climate change and reducing energy prices — neither of which he’s done.”