Federal Attorney-General George Brandis says he is unaware of any fresh action planned by the West Australian government to bring the long-running Bell Group litigation to an end.
But he's supportive of the WA government seeking to bring it to a close for the sake of creditors.
The West Australian newspaper reports WA Premier Colin Barnett is considering new ways to end the saga over the Alan Bond empire, the assets of which are being eroded through legal action.
WA legislation aimed at resolving the matter was knocked over this year by the High Court after it was challenged by the Australian Taxation Office and the commonwealth.
Mr Barnett told the newspaper the government thought it had the support of Canberra for its legislation and was "disappointed" with the court intervention.
Senator Brandis told a Senate hearing in Canberra on Monday he was only aware of the newspaper report, but he would not be surprised if the state government was considering new steps.
"It is a notorious fact it has been the desire of both sides of politics to somehow bring this Bell litigation to an end," he said.
Senator Brandis said he supported the "policy ambition" behind the WA legislation because it was always better to get any complex winding up of companies sorted out earlier rather than later.
"The policy ambition here, to try and leave as much money in the pot for distribution to creditors, is something that in any winding up is a desirable objective," he told the hearing.
Senator Brandis told the committee he had never read the WA bill but had relied on briefings.
The last time he had spoken with his WA counterpart was on November 28, before he delivered a statement to the Senate on the commonwealth's action in overturning the WA legislation.
He said the phone call was a "matter of courtesy" but "nothing consequential was discussed".
The attorney-general had never discussed the issue with Mr Barnett.
The federal government has estimated it is owed at least $1.8 billion.
Senator Brandis previously told the Senate his first "personal" involvement in the Bell Group matter was in March this year when his ministerial colleague Christian Porter spoke to him about it.
But Labor senator Murray Watt asked Senator Brandis whether he was aware of a briefing received by the attorney-general's office in June 2015 regarding the matter, as well as updates over the three following months.
"The fact my office may have been advised of something by an agency or department is an entirely commonplace matter," Senator Brandis said.
He added he would check his records on whether he saw a briefing note.
Asked whether he had ever directed former solicitor-general Justin Gleeson not to run a particular argument in the Bell Group case, the attorney-general said: "No."
"There was a time at which I thought the commonwealth shouldn't intervene on the Corporations Act point," he told the hearing.
"That was my initial view. I thought the commonwealth's interest was sufficiently represented by the ATO.
"However, the solicitor-general was strongly of the view the commonwealth should (take part in the High Court case) ... and having considered what he said to me I accepted his advice and the commonwealth intervened on that point.
"There was no constraint whatever placed on the solicitor-general in running the points he wanted to run on the Corporations Act."
