“I have taken decisions in the past,difficult decisions,when I believe[standards] haven’t been adhered to and decisions have been taken as a consequence of that,” Mr Morrison said on Thursday.
“In the same way on these issues,I will follow the same process. I’ll deal with it carefully,and as always I’ll ensure that the ministerial guidelines are adhered to.”
The advice,being prepared by the department of Prime Minister and Cabinet,is expected within a week,government sources speaking on condition of anonymity said.
Mr Porterhas faced intense criticism since declaring on Tuesday he hadaccepted an undisclosed sum of money through a blind trust to help fund his defamation case against the ABC and its reporter Louise Milligan,which settled earlier this year.
Mr Morrison would not be drawn on whether he or the cabinet knew Mr Porter’s legal fees had been partly paid by the blind trust before he declared them in his register of interests. Asked why he had not simply instructed Mr Porter to repay the money or disclose the identity of the donors,Mr Morrison said:“because I am ensuring the ministerial guidelines are adhered to”.
Porter declared he had “no access to information about the conduct and funding of the trust”.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese stepped up his attack on Thursday,saying:“Christian Porter should go and he should go today”.