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PRIME MINISTER

27 November 2019

The Hon Tony Smith MP
Speaker Of the House of Representatives

Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600

Dear Mr Speaker

In Question Time today I provided the following response to a question ?'om the Leader of
the Opposition.

Mr MORRISON: The Leader of the Opposition is seeking to prosecute a case here that says
that if media have reported that a matter is under investigation by a law enforcement body
then the standard should be that that person should stand aside. That's what the Leader of the

Opposition is prosecuting in this case.

If that's the case, Why is it that former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, and I refer to March
2013?Ross Mitchell, a detective in Victoria Police's fraud squad, stated that Prime Minister
Julia Gillard was under investigation over her role in the creation of an AWU slush fund. He

said:

. .. let me make this perfectly clear. The Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, is under
investigation by police. This is fact.

Mr Brian Mitchell interj ecting?
Mr MORRISON: He said:

I hadn't planned to add to what I said yesterday out of respect for the detectives on the case.
But if the Prime Minister's Of?ce wants to deny she's being investigated, as has been reported
last night and today, then I will once again correct that record.

NOW, the then Prime Minister obviously didn't stand aside in relation to those matters. I

remember the press conference? 

My answer incorrectly attributed that statement to the Detective investigating the case. For
the record Of the House, I am advised that this quotation was in fact from journalist Ben
Fordham reporting on the investigation.

Yours sincerely





SCOTT MORRISON 2600