Scandals see Australia ministers Mal Brough and Jamie Briggs resign

Two Australian cabinet ministers have resigned over unrelated scandals. Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Jamie Briggs quit after a public servant complained about his behaviour at a Hong Kong bar. Special Minister of State Mal Brough quit pending a police inquiry into his role in another politician’s downfall. With two front bench cabinet positions […]

Two Australian cabinet ministers have resigned over unrelated scandals. Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Jamie Briggs quit after a public servant complained about his behaviour at a Hong Kong bar.
Special Minister of State Mal Brough quit pending a police inquiry into his role in another politician’s downfall.
With two front bench cabinet positions to fill in a day, this is the first major setback to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull since he took office.
Mr Briggs said at a press conference that he had spoken to Mr Turnbull, and that the prime minister felt Mr Briggs had not met the standard of behaviour required of ministers.
He refused to comment on the specific nature of the incident and did not name the public servant who made the allegations.
Mr Brough, who is also Minister for Defence Materiel and Science, is being investigated by police over the alleged illegal procurement of another politician’s diary.
He is accused of illegally obtaining copies of former speaker Peter Slipper’s diary in 2012 at a time when Mr Slipper was embroiled in a sexual harassment case, which was later dropped. Mr Brough denies wrongdoing.