PARLIAMENTARY REPORT


AUSTRALIA MINISTERIAL RESIGNATIONS


Ministers resign The Prime Minister, Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, only months into his prime ministership, has been rocked by the resignation of three senior ministers in quick succession. This comes as the Turnbull Government faces an election later in 2016. Hon. Jamie Briggs MP, Minister for Cities and the Built Environment, resigned after an Australian female public servant complained about his behaviour at a Hong Kong street bar during an official trip in November. It is alleged that the behaviour involved a hug, a comment about her eyes and kiss as they were departing the bar. On 29 December, the Prime Minister announced that Mr Briggs had resigned. The Prime Minister noted that “as Mr Briggs has noted in his public statement, Ministers are expected to uphold high standards of behaviour as set out in the Ministerial Standards. On this occasion his conduct fell short of that standard. After being invited to reflect on his position, he offered his resignation which I have accepted.”


Mr Briggs in his letter of resignation commented that his decision to resign “has been made after careful


reflection about certain matters that occurred during an official visit to Hong Kong in late November of this year.” Mr Briggs further stated


that “at the conclusion of the official programme for the day, my Chief of Staff and I went for dinner and we invited several other officials of which one female public servant agreed to attend. At the conclusion of the dinner (which I paid for personally) we went to a popular and as it transpired very crowded bar for drinks during which we interacted between the three of us and with others in what I believed, at the time, was an informal manner. At the conclusion of the evening, the public servant left to return home and my Chief of Staff and I returned to our hotel together. At no point was it my intention to act inappropriately and I’m obliged to note for the record that nothing illegal has been alleged or did in fact occur.” Mr Briggs noted that


“however, in the days following the evening the public servant raised a concern about the appropriateness of my behaviour towards her at the venue. I have apologised directly to her but after careful reflection about the concerns she raised and the fact that I was at a bar, late at night while on an overseas visit, I have concluded that this behaviour has not met the particularly high standards required of Ministers. Therefore the proper course for me is to resign. This was an error of professional judgement.”


Hon. Malcolm Brough


Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP Prime Minister


MP, resigned as Special Minister of State as a result of a continuing Australian Federal Police (AFP) inquiry into his alleged involvement


84 | The Parliamentarian | 2016: Issue One


in the unauthorised access to diary extracts of the former Speaker, Hon. Peter Slipper by the former Speaker’s staff member, Mr James Ashby. On 18 November, Mr Brough stated that “I can confirm reports that the AFP visited me on Tuesday requesting any documentation relating to allegations involving the disclosure of diary notes of Mr Slipper.” Mr Brough further stated that “I can also confirm that I provided the exact same material to the AFP as I previously provided to the Federal Court.”


During question time in the House of Representatives, Mr Brough received a series of ongoing questions about this matter from the Shadow Attorney-General, Hon. Mark Dreyfus MP. In rebutting these questions, Mr Brough referred Mr Dreyfuss to remarks he made in his statement on 18 November. On 29 December the Prime Minister confirmed in a statement that “Mr Brough and I have agreed that he will stand aside as Special Minister of State and Minister for Defence Materiel and Science pending the completion of inquiries by the police.’ The Prime Minister noted that ‘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.” On 13 February Mr Turnbull advised that “Mal Brough informed me earlier today that he did not wish to be considered for a position in the new executive line up given the fact that the police investigations are continuing


and will continue at least for some months, as he understands.”


Hon. Stuart Robert MP, resigned as Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Minister for Human Services for breaching ministerial rules. In 2014 Mr Robert while a Minister, but in a personal capacity, travelled to China to help close a mining deal between Nimrod Resources run by his friend and Liberal Party donor Mr Paul Marks and the Chinese government- owned company Minmetals. On 9 February when questioned over this matter during question time, Mr Robert stated that “I thank the member for his question regarding a visit I undertook overseas in a personal capacity in 2014. Can I say to the House: I am confident I have not acted inappropriately and, as the Prime Minister said yesterday, this matter has been referred to the highest public servant in the land, Dr Martin Parkinson PSM, for review and I, of course, will fully assist the secretary in his review.” On 12 February, the Prime Minister announced that Mr Robert’s actions were inconsistent with ministerial standards and that he would be standing down. Mr Turnbull stated that “in the course of assisting the investigation, Mr Robert advised Dr Parkinson that on checking his records he had become aware that shares in Metallum Holdings Pty Ltd, a company in which Mr Marks was also a shareholder, had been allocated to his trustee some time before the visit to Beijing. He told Dr Parkinson that this had been done without his knowledge. He further advised Dr Parkinson that he believed Metallum Holdings


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