Controversial federal MP Stuart Robert has rejected claims he gave a parliamentary speech defending a Gold Coast developer in exchange for political donations.
Robert, who represents the Gold Coast electorate of Fadden, has come under fire after it was reported entire chunks of a 2012 speech to parliament were written by a lobbyist for developer Sunland.
But on Thursday he hit out at the suggestion he gave the speech to secure a donation from the developer to Queensland's Liberal National Party ahead of the 2013 federal election.
"Recent reports suggesting I supported local Gold Coast company Sunland in return for donations are incorrect and scurrilous," he said in a statement on his website.
He said the donation came eight months after his speech and had been on the public record for years.
"To draw a link between an issue I supported as a local MP and an unrelated and fully disclosed donation over eight months later is an outrageous and offensive assertion," he said.
But Mr Robert did not deny taking part of his speech from a lobbyist.
"I was informed by various sources. Due to the complexities of the issues involved it was important to be precise with language, I delivered my own speech," he wrote.
The speech, delivered in November 2012, defended Sunland as the developer faced criticism over a Dubai legal dispute that resulted in the wrongful imprisonment of Australian Marcus Lee for five years.
Mr Lee's lawyer John Sneddon on Wednesday said the speech could have jeopardised his client's defence.
"We thought it was just a bizarre thing to do," he told ABC radio.
"It was something that could have resulted in the Dubai authorities believing that any conviction of my client would carry the imprimatur of the Australian government."
But Mr Robert said he thought it was important to stand up for the Gold coast company.
"Following two earlier speeches delivered by a Senator colleague that I also felt were one-sided, I believed that if one side of the issue could be aired in Parliament, the other side could be as well. That is only fair."
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has called on the prime minister to either come out in support of Mr Roberts or sack him.
"I've been surprised by Malcolm Turnbull's handling of the Stuart Roberts' matter," Mr Shorten said on Thursday.
"He was very quick to give advice about how Senator (Sam) Dastyari should be handled and Senator Dastyari resigned within several days.
"Turnbull has to decide does he back Stuart Roberts, or sack him."
