In September,Mr Porter revealed part of his legal fees for the defamation action he took against the ABC had been paid from a blind trust known as the “Legal Services Trust” and that he did not know who had contributed to it.Mr Porter resigned from cabinet after Prime Minister Scott Morrisonsought advice over whether the move also breached ministerial standards.
The Speaker examined the former attorney-general’s declaration of interests,the rules about pecuniary interests and the purpose register to put on the public record members’ interests that may conflict or may be seen to conflict with their public duty.
“Based on my careful consideration of all of the information available to me,I am satisfied that a prima facie case has been made out,” Mr Smith said.
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Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke on Wednesday labelled the blind trust a “brown paper bag stitched up by lawyers” in Parliament.
Unless the privileges committee ruled on the matter,“any member of this House could then set up a blind trust and have whatever income they want to go into it,receive income and then say oh it’s a blind trust,don’t know where the money came from”,he said.
But Mr Burke said the motion to refer the matter to the committee wasn’t a judgment about what Mr Porter has done.