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The new so-called “Special Minister of State” Mal Brough made a complete mockery of claims by newly appointed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull that his was a government for the 21st century.

Appearing on the ABC’s Lateline programme, Brough reacted furiously to questions by host Emma Alberici about his involvement in bringing down former Speaker Peter Slipper, whose old seat of Fisher Brough now occupies.

Brough’s performance prompted Labor’s Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Attorney-General Graham Perrett to release the following statement:

Special Minister of State is a particularly important portfolio having responsibility for key integrity agencies such as the Commonwealth Ombudsman, the Australian National Audit Office, the Australian Electoral Commission and administration of the parliamentary entitlements framework.

Mr Brough’s involvement in [the] Ashby Affair raises serious questions about whether he is fit for this important office.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Malcolm Turnbull’s Ashbygate albatross: Special Minister Mal Brough lies again

 

he lied...

Mal Brough was appointed to a key position in Malcolm Turnbull's new ministry, yet the Canberra Press Gallery ignore the Ashbygate controversy swirling around him?Margo Kingston says it's all about the narrative.

WHAT? Mal Brough is our special minister of state? Excuse me?

Like so many Australians, I was filled with an unbearable lightness of being on the removal of Tony Abbott and with hope that a new era of honest, policy- based politics had begun.

Yes there was a little niggle when I saw Brough alongside Turnbull in the walk to the party room, but no, he’d never be promoted — surely?

I tweeted concern, though, when it was reported that he’d helped do Mr Turnbull’s numbers:

Uh-oh, Brough did Turnbull’s numbers. Will PM give #Ashbygate liar a ministry? http://t.co/b1ewhz6QkW @KnottMatthewpic.twitter.com/McotSna75R

— Margo Kingston (@margokingston1) September 15, 2015

But Brough was unmentioned in the pre-reshuffle reporting, so imagine my surprise – no, horror! – when he was appointed special minister of state, the minister for honest politics! Huh?

Lies, lies by Brough on #Ashbygate (did an Abbott) – despicable he’s Special Min of State! http://t.co/eEwX6qx2Qx http://t.co/yFOiIC0j11 — Margo Kingston (@margokingston1) September 20, 2015

Brough, #Ashbygate liar, procurer of stolen Speaker’s diary, is in charge of HONEST POLITICS! http://t.co/VWNu0uTHwJpic.twitter.com/loC3N9PSUV

— Margo Kingston (@margokingston1) September 20, 2015

Ah, a bitter Brough taste –#Ashbygate a symptom of ultra-nasty politics under Abbott – for a new, hopefully hopeful era. Bye for now. — Margo Kingston (@margokingston1) September 20, 2015

Yet no-one – no-one – in the Press Gallery mentioned his intimate involvement in the hottest political story of 2012, the sexual harassment legal action by James Ashby against Peter Slipper, an action thrown out of Court for abuse of process, then dropped by Ashby after the appeal court ordered it be decided on the merits. Slipper was ruined and Ashby ordered to pay costs. (Later, after Ashby refused to follow up on the appear, this costs order was overturned.)

In the wash-up, two out of four federal court judges found Brough had been engaged in a conspiracy to bring down the government through legal action.

But the guts of Brough’s disqualification for ever being a minister again was that he lied about his involvement – over and over – and did his best to avoid answering questions, time after time.

In May 2012 he denied as “nonsense” the claim that he had any prior knowledge of court proceedings by Ashby. In June, after being outed, he said he did meet with Ashby about legal action but spoke to no-one in the Coalition about the matter. This was quickly exposed as a lie by court documents, which showed he was a key player in the Ashby plan for legal action and had tried to get him a job in the Liberal Party.

In September last year, A Sixty Minutes interview with Ashby forced him to admit he was the person codenamed “Jackie” in text message trails who organised legal advice and that he had procured Ashby to steal Slipper’s travel diary and send him excerpts:

Liz Hayes: “Did you ask James Ashby to procure copies of Peter Slipper’s diary for you?”

Mal Brough: “Yes I did.”

 

 

read more https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/malcolm-turnbull-dont-soil-your-new-ministry-with-an-liar-brough,8189