{"id":29881,"date":"2015-09-22T18:25:44","date_gmt":"2015-09-22T08:25:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nofibs.com.au\/?p=29881"},"modified":"2019-04-13T23:54:25","modified_gmt":"2019-04-13T13:54:25","slug":"please-turnbullmalcolm-dont-soil-new-era-with-ashbygate-liar-malbrough_mp-margokingston1-comments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/please-turnbullmalcolm-dont-soil-new-era-with-ashbygate-liar-malbrough_mp-margokingston1-comments\/","title":{"rendered":"Please @turnbullmalcolm don&#8217;t soil new era with #Ashbygate liar @MalBrough_MP: @margokingston1 comments"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-29883\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nofibs.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/ashbygate.jpg?resize=800%2C400\" alt=\"ashbygate\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/ashbygate.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/ashbygate.jpg?resize=300%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/ashbygate.jpg?resize=600%2C300&amp;ssl=1 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><br \/>\nWhat? Mal Brough is our Special Minister of State? Excuse me?<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, there was a little niggle when I saw Brough alongside Turnbull in the walk to the party room, but no, he\u2019d never be promoted, surely.<\/p>\n<p>I tweeted concern, though, when it was reported that he\u2019d helped do Mr Turnbull\u2019s numbers:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\" data-conversation=\"none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Uh-oh, Brough did Turnbull&#8217;s numbers. Will PM give <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Ashbygate?src=hash\">#Ashbygate<\/a> liar a ministry? <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/b1ewhz6QkW\">http:\/\/t.co\/b1ewhz6QkW<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KnottMatthew\">@KnottMatthew<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/McotSna75R\">pic.twitter.com\/McotSna75R<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Margo Kingston (@margokingston1) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/margokingston1\/status\/643731399980138496\">September 15, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>But Brough went\u00a0unmentioned 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? <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\"><p>Lies, lies by Brough on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Ashbygate?src=hash\">#Ashbygate<\/a> (did an Abbott) &#8211; despicable he&#8217;s Special Min of State! <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/eEwX6qx2Qx\">http:\/\/t.co\/eEwX6qx2Qx<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/yFOiIC0j11\">http:\/\/t.co\/yFOiIC0j11<\/a> \u2014 Margo Kingston (@margokingston1) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/margokingston1\/status\/645476326598553600\">September 20, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Brough, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Ashbygate?src=hash\">#Ashbygate<\/a> liar, procurer of stolen Speaker&#8217;s diary, is in charge of HONEST POLITICS! <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/VWNu0uTHwJ\">http:\/\/t.co\/VWNu0uTHwJ<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/loC3N9PSUV\">pic.twitter.com\/loC3N9PSUV<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Margo Kingston (@margokingston1) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/margokingston1\/status\/645479998757801985\">September 20, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\"><p>Ah, a bitter Brough taste &#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Ashbygate?src=hash\">#Ashbygate<\/a> a symptom of ultra-nasty politics under Abbott &#8211; for a new, hopefully hopeful era. Bye for now. \u2014 Margo Kingston (@margokingston1) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/margokingston1\/status\/645483546618953728\">September 20, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>But the guts of Brough\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>In May 2012,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.crikey.com.au\/2012\/06\/27\/ashby-is-no-grech-moment-unless-youre-mal-brough\/?wpmp_switcher=mobile\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">he denied as \u201cnonsense\u201d<\/a> 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 <a href=\"http:\/\/m.dailytelegraph.com.au\/news\/opinion\/james-ashbys-failed-sexual-harassment-case-has-sunk-the-slipper-into-mal-brough\/story-e6frezz0-1226537525647\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">quickly exposed as a lie<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n<p>In September 2014, A <em>60\u00a0Minutes<\/em> interview with Ashby forced him to admit he was the person codenamed &#8216;Jackie&#8217; in text message trails who organised legal advice, and that Brough\u00a0had procured Ashby to steal Slipper\u2019s travel diary and send him excerpts:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Liz Hayes:\u00a0 \u201cDid you ask James Ashby to procure copies of Peter Slipper\u2019s diary for you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mal Brough: \u201cYes I did.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Labor backbencher Graham Perrett immediately <a href=\"http:\/\/nofibs.com.au\/2014\/09\/08\/dear-afp-please-investigate-ashbygate-at-last-sincerely-grahamperrettmp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wrote to the AFP urging it to investigate a possible crime<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>After seven years&#8217; retirement from political journalism, <a href=\"https:\/\/independentaustralia.net\/politics\/politics-display\/tony-abbott-and-his-slushy-character-question,4760\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">I returned to the fray in late 2012<\/a>, flummoxed that amid Tony Abbott\u2019s campaign to discredit Julia Gillard over a very old <span class=\"Apple-style-span\">Australian Workers&#8217; Union\u00a0(<\/span>AWU) slush fund story, the Press Gallery had completely forgotten that Abbott himself had lied about his involvement in bringing court action to destroy Pauline Hanson, which ultimately saw her jailed in 2003 before the judgement was overturned. His \u2018Australians for Honest Politics\u2019 slush fund saw ten people anonymously donate to bring her down in the courts, and <a href=\"https:\/\/independentaustralia.net\/politics\/politics-display\/the-dishonest-politics-club,4843\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">he refused point-blank to disclose his donors to the Australian Electoral Commission<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Michelle Grattan was the only journo to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/federal-politics\/political-opinion\/abbott-has-his-own-slushy-history-20121201-2anjy.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">publicly admit to forgetfulness<\/a>, and despite my best efforts, the Press Gallery did not raise the issue with Abbott.<\/p>\n<p>When Abbott\u2019s honest politics lies and secrecy was hot in 2003, the press gallery closed ranks to protect their man. Part of the reason was that they thought he\u2019d done the right thing and thus forgave his serial lies to the ABC and <em>The Sydney Morning Herald<\/em> that he was not involved in the legal action; and part of the reason, in my view, is that he was a good source.<\/p>\n<p>In an eerie parallel, after splashing Ashby\u2019s legal action around in 2012, the press gallery failed to pursue the explosive Federal Court judgement on the matter, much to the chagrin of Twitter <a href=\"http:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/federal-politics\/political-opinion\/surely-the-coalition-smell-hasnt-evaporated-20130117-2cw5l.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">and legal affairs commentator Richard Ackland<\/a>. Yes, the judgement was late in the year and holidays beckoned, but the main factor, in my opinion, is that the story did not fit the prevailing narrative of an on-the-nose government and a dominant opposition. It was left to Twitter, <a href=\"http:\/\/nofibs.com.au\/2013\/07\/02\/the-people-demand-and-pay-for-an-ashby-investigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">an Ashbygate Trust<\/a> formed with $50,000 donations, the website <em>Independent Australia<\/em> and Brough\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/nofibs.com.au\/2013\/01\/24\/citizen-journalism-and-south-coast-daily-combine-to-corne-mal-brough\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">local paper <em>The Sunshine Coast Daily<\/em><\/a> to investigate.<\/p>\n<p>And now, so very strangely, Brough\u2019s unacceptable history is ignored by the Press Gallery on his promotion. It really can\u2019t be forgetfulness this time, so why? I can\u2019t help thinking it\u2019s a narrative issue again. The narrative is the ascent of Turnbull and a brand new government. Gallery journalists are adjusting their work to accommodate a new power structure and new sources. They don\u2019t want to disturb the narrative or cruel their chances of being the favoured recipients of stories.<\/p>\n<p>And so it was left to Twitter, again. The hashtag #Ashbygate trended in Australia after the ministerial announcement, and <em>Independent Australia<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/independentaustralia.net\/politics\/politics-display\/malcolm-turnbulls-ashbygate-albatross-new-minister-mal-brough-lies--again,8185\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">told the story<\/a>. Brough was interviewed by the <em>7.30 Report<\/em> without mention of his history. Turnbull was not asked to justify his choice as Special Minister of State.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ashbygate?src=hash\">#ashbygate<\/a> is now trending in Australia <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/giFpgT62Zv\">http:\/\/t.co\/giFpgT62Zv<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Trends Australia (@TrendsAustralia) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TrendsAustralia\/status\/645542117725442048\">September 20, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Only Emma Alberici <a href=\"http:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/lateline\/content\/2015\/s4317000.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">questioned Brough<\/a>, on <em>Lateline<\/em> on Monday night, and yet again he obfuscated. Remember that admission on <em>60\u00a0Minutes<\/em>? Here\u2019s what he said Tuesday night:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Alberici: \u201cYou asked Peter Slipper&#8217;s staffer James Ashby to make copies of Peter Slipper&#8217;s private diary. Was that appropriate?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brough: \u201cNo, that&#8217;s not correct. I mean, I know that that&#8217;s what&#8217;s been reported, but that is not exactly the right description of what occurred. But what I can tell you is that I stand by every action that I&#8217;ve taken &#8230;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Alberici: \u201cWhat part of what I just said then was not accurate?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brough: \u201cWell all of these matters have been canvassed and dealt with by the courts, not that I was ever involved &#8230;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Alberici: \u201cBut you&#8217;ve previously admitted that you asked for the procurement of those diaries. You&#8217;ve admitted on the public record.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brough: \u201cWhen you ask me a question, I&#8217;m trying to give you a straight answer \u2026\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>To my mind, it is fundamental to the political journalist\u2019s role to ensure if at all possible that a politician caught consistently lying to the people is not permitted to take a prominent role in our nation\u2019s affairs. We must do our best to make that politician, and politicians who promote him despite their record, accountable.<\/p>\n<p>It is obvious to me that Mal Brough is an unacceptable choice to be Special Minister of State responsible for entitlements, political staffers and electoral matters. Perhaps an admission of deceit, a full explanation of what happened and a promise to be truthful in future might help; but Mal Brough will have none of that and hopes his past is forgotten. The Press Gallery is abetting him, and Mr Turnbull, to do just that.<\/p>\n<p>The Ashby scandal was one of the nastiest episodes in Mr Abbott\u2019s nasty record as opposition leader and Prime Minister, and now it haunts the new government and shames the Press Gallery once again. Such a pity.<\/p>\n<p><em>No Fibs <a href=\"http:\/\/nofibs.com.au\/?s=Ashby\">#Ashbygate archive<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The Press Gallery was stung into action after the Alberici interview. The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/australia-news\/2015\/sep\/22\/federal-police-say-inquiry-into-leaking-of-peter-slippers-diary-is-still-active\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AFP is still investigating Brough<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 [&hellip;]<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":29883,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[3434,3402,59,62,585,75,26],"tags":[113,302,304],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/ashbygate.jpg?fit=800%2C400&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t0mw-7LX","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29881"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}