AAP:

 

Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan

 

says senior members of the federal opposition must reveal if they knew the content of legal action against Speaker Peter Slipper

 

 

before the suit was lodged in court.  Fairfax Media says coalition frontbencher Christopher Pyne

 

 

spent almost two hours drinking and chatting with Slipper

 

 

adviser James Hunter Ashby

 

 

a month before Mr Ashby lodged documents accusing Mr Slipper

 

of sexual harassment and misusing cab vouchers.  Mr Pyne

 

met with Mr Ashby and another Slipper

 

 

staffer in the Speaker’s office in Parliament House on the evening of March 19, and he later phoned the office to request Mr. Hunter Ashby’s

 

mobile number, the report said.  “I think Mr Pyne

 

has many questions to answer,” Mr Swan

 

told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.  “The same standard that is being applied to Mr Slipper

 

ought to be applied to the opposition.”  Mr Slipper

 

has stood aside as Speaker until all the claims against him are resolved.  Mr Hunter Ashby’s

 

claim was filed in the Federal Court in Sydney on Friday, April 20.  Mr Pyne

 

told Sky News the following Sunday the first he knew of it was when he read about it in a newspaper.  Asked on the ABC’s 7.30 television program last week if there was evidence to suggest Mr Hunter Ashby

 

had received help from the coalition in preparing his court claim, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott

 

said: “Not that I’m aware of.”   Mr Swan

 

told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday that Mr Pyne

 

and Mr Abbott

 

must reveal all they knew about the matter.  “When you’ve listened to Mr Abbott’s

 

slippery answers about these questions, he has not answered the question about whether he had any knowledge of the Hunter Ashby

 

 

claim,” Mr Swan

 

said.  “He has not answered the question about the role any of his staff may have played in the events that have unfolded.  Comment was being sought from Mr Pyne.

.

 

 

…Whew!

 

Copyright 2012 The Fine Report

[email protected]