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| Jamie Briggs resigns as minister over incident in Hong Kong bar with female public servant | Jamie Briggs resigns as minister over incident in Hong Kong bar with female public servant |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The federal minister for cities and the built environment, Jamie Briggs, has stepped down from the Turnbull government’s frontbench after a female public servant made complaints about his behaviour on a night out in Hong Kong. | The federal minister for cities and the built environment, Jamie Briggs, has stepped down from the Turnbull government’s frontbench after a female public servant made complaints about his behaviour on a night out in Hong Kong. |
| Related: MP Jamie Briggs admits he was hurt in 'high jinks' at Abbott's farewell party | Related: MP Jamie Briggs admits he was hurt in 'high jinks' at Abbott's farewell party |
| Almost simultaneously with Briggs’s announcement, the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, released a statement saying the special minister of state, Mal Brough, had also stood aside. | |
| Brough has been under intense scrutiny for the role he played in the downfall of disgraced former speaker, Peter Slipper. | |
| In the incident involving Briggs, an unnamed public servant raised concerns about the appropriateness of the then minister’s conduct on a night out. She, Briggs and his chief of staff went to a crowded bar following the conclusion of the day’s official business. The exact nature of the complaint was not revealed. | |
| In announcing his retirement from the frontbench, Briggs said he believed the night out was an informal event but that his behaviour did not meet the “high standards” required from a minister. | |
| “At no point was it my intention to act inappropriately,” he said. “This was an error of professional judgement.” | “At no point was it my intention to act inappropriately,” he said. “This was an error of professional judgement.” |
| Briggs insisted nothing illegal happened during the incident, which occurred in late November. He spoke to the prime minister before tendering his resignation to the governor general, Peter Cosgrove. | |
| Related: Mal Brough, Peter Slipper's diary and #Ashbygate: the key issues explained | |
| Briggs has apologised to the woman who made the complaint, and said he would not reveal her name “to protect her privacy and at her request”. | |
| Turnbull issued a statement saying Briggs had resigned “after being invited to reflect on his position”. | |
| “As Mr Briggs has noted in his public statement, ministers are expected to uphold high standards of behaviour as set out in the ministerial standards,” Turnbull’s statement said. “On this occasion his conduct fell short of that standard. After being invited to reflect on his position, he offered his resignation which I have accepted.” | |
| Briggs was promoted to the ministry when Malcolm Turnbull became prime minister in September. Under Tony Abbott he had been assistant infrastructure minister. | Briggs was promoted to the ministry when Malcolm Turnbull became prime minister in September. Under Tony Abbott he had been assistant infrastructure minister. |
| Briggs won the South Australian seat of Mayo in 2008, after long-time Liberal MP Alexander Downer, retired. The largely rural seat takes in the Adelaide Hills and the Fleurieu Peninsula. | Briggs won the South Australian seat of Mayo in 2008, after long-time Liberal MP Alexander Downer, retired. The largely rural seat takes in the Adelaide Hills and the Fleurieu Peninsula. |
| Briggs had been a senior adviser to the former prime minister John Howard. | Briggs had been a senior adviser to the former prime minister John Howard. |