I didn't ask Palmer for money: Brough

PETER Slipper's political rival Mal Brough has denied claims he approached Clive Palmer to fund a campaign to wreck the Fisher MP's reputation.

Mr Brough, who's running as a Liberal National Party candidate against Mr Slipper, says he didn't ask the billionaire for money.

He questions why the mining magnate has changed his story over a meeting they had in April 2012.

"This is an event which occurred 17 months ago and now two weeks before polling day Mr Palmer has decided his recollection has changed and his story has changed," Mr Brough told reporters on Thursday.

He said Mr Palmer had previously denied he had been approached for money to pay for the legal case against the former Speaker.

"It is black and white that Mr Palmer has been inconsistent on this," Mr Brough said.

Mr Palmer told reporters on Thursday that Mr Brough had asked him for money to fund the failed sexual harassment case against Mr Slipper.

"He (Mr Brough) said to me we needed to destroy Peter Slipper," the Palmer United Party founder said.

The billionaire-turned-politician said he wanted to make it clear that shadow treasurer Joe Hockey was not involved in the approach.

Mr Slipper told parliament in June that Mr Brough and Mr Hockey had approached Mr Palmer to pay the legal fees of Mr Slipper's former aide James Ashby.

Mr Slipper had been accused of sexually harassing Mr Ashby, had been charged with misusing expenses and had resigned as Speaker over offensive text messages.

The sexual harassment case was thrown out by Federal Court Justice Stephen Rares, who found Mr Ashby's predominant purpose for bringing the case was to pursue a political attack against his former boss.

Earlier on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for Mr Brough to give a full explanation of his links to the Ashby case, given Mr Palmer's claim.

"He needs to clear up exactly what occurred because we all recall that when Samantha Maiden from the Sunday Telegraph first raised these issues with Mal Brough, he told her that he had nothing to do with any of it," he told reporters in Perth.

"We then found out subsequently that he organised for Mr Ashby to meet with lawyers and that he was involved in these issues."

Mr Hockey has previously denied Mr Slipper's claim that he had approached Mr Palmer to fund the case.

Mr Ashby has denied ever asking Mr Brough to fund the case against Mr Slipper.

"For abundant clarity, at no stage did James Ashby ask Mal Brough, or indeed anyone, to fund his case," a spokesman for Mr Ashby said in a statement on Thursday.

"Further, as has been on the public record for some time, there is no third party funding his case."

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