Attorney-General George Brandis admits he thought he was having a private conversation when he described his Queensland Liberal National Party colleagues as "very, very mediocre".
Senator Brandis made the comments during a conversation with Victorian Liberal Party president Michael Kroger at a state council meeting on Sunday, unaware conference organisers had turned on their microphones.
Asked during Senate question time on Tuesday whether he stood by the comments, Senator Brandis admitted he had made some observations about Queensland politics "during the course of what I understood to be a private conversation".
LNP frontbencher Matt Canavan said he disagreed with Senator Brandis' comments, insisting the Queensland opposition were doing a "fantastic job".
He also shrugged off Senator Brandis' suggestion of de-merging the Liberal and National parties in Queensland.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"Any decision about the Liberal National Party is one for its members," he told parliament.
"It's not for Senator Brandis or I, no one cares what our opinion is."
