Prime Minister Tony Abbott has dismissed a suggestion he or his team misled parliament in their defence of Assistant Health Minister Fiona Nash.
Mr Abbott was quizzed in question time about whether he or his special minister of state mislead parliament with different responses to whether Senator Nash's former chief of staff was required to divest a directorship over a conflict of interest.
"The short answer is neither," Mr Abbott said.
Alistair Furnival was forced to resign as the senator's chief of staff after failing to divest a shareholding in his wife's public relations company Australian Public Affairs - a requirement of his appointment - which had links to the junk food industry.
Mr Abbott said that everything Senator Nash did in handling the matter was "eminently defensible".
Within a few days the staff member did the right thing and resigned, he said.
"I can assure members opposite that on this particular issue there is Labor smoke but no coalition fire," he said.
"This is not so much a storm in a teacup, it's not even a zephyr in a thimble - it's nothing."
Mr Abbott disagreed with a Labor suggestion that Furnival was responsible for the website coming down.
"The position of the government was determined by the government and the minister."
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten accused Senator Nash of failing to ensure her chief of staff had ceased his directorship and divested his shareholding.
"Hasn't the minister misled the parliament and failed in her responsibilities as a minister in your government?" he asked the prime minister.
Speaker Bronwyn Bishop said the question went "close to the wind", but allowed it anyway.
Mr Abbott simply answered "no", but later said he backed his minister "to the hilt".
