Education Minister Christopher Pyne has rejected claims that he offered James Ashby a job and a lawyer before a sexual harrassment case was lodged against former Speaker Peter Slipper.
Mr Pyne confirmed in 2012 he had met with Mr Ashby, but insisted he was not told of the pending court action.
"I had no specific knowledge of the allegations made by Mr Ashby and the first I knew that he was suing Mr Slipper was when I read it in the newspapers," Mr Pyne said in a statement on Sunday.
James Ashby, a former staffer of Mr Slipper, alleges Mr Pyne offered him a job and a lawyer during a discussion between the two before the harassment allegations became public.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has refused to comment specifically on the claims today, saying the matter has been dealt with.
Tony Abbott says the courts have dealt with the case on the misuse of entitlements, adding that hed stood by his previous comments about the case.
"I certainly stand by everything I have said about this and I am confident that Christopher will stand by everything he has said about this business," he told reporters in Queanbeyan in southeast New South Wales.
He said he had sympathy for James Ashby.
"He believed he had been treated in ways that was contrary to law. And, look, I watched the [60 minutes] program and I saw what I took to be a decent man who had been put into an impossible position and I had a lot of sympathy for him."
He says the issue had been thoroughly dealt with and that it is time to move on.
"But the point that I make is that all of this has been before the courts. And it all relates to a period in our national life that was discreditable, which was sordid, which was squalid and which is over."
Senior Liberals are backing cabinet minister Christopher Pyne, who's been drawn into claims surrounding the events leading up to a sexual harassment case being lodged against former Speaker Peter Slipper.
Environment Minister Greg Hunt says that claim is counter to an affidavit Mr Ashby presented in court proceedings against Mr Slipper.
"I can't imagine someone would say one thing to the court and another thing privately," Mr Hunt told ABC radio on Monday.
"I back Christopher's view of this 100 per cent."
Government still has questions to answer: Opposition
Opposition attorney-general Mark Dreyfuss said the government still has questions to answer over the case.
"I think it is always worth pursuing this kind of grubby conduct by members of the federal parliament. It is worth pursuing because we need to know just what they did," he told ABC Radio.
"It is an extraordinary event that occurred here, this attack on the speaker of the House of Representatives. And it's clear that a number of Liberal MPs were involved. In particular, Mal Brough, Christopher Pyne...It is for [Tony Abbott] to say to what extent he was involved in this.
"They [Liberal MPs] should be asked these questions and they should answer. Australians are entitled to know the way in which their MPs behave."
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