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Senior cabinet ministers have confirmed they "received and deleted" a pirated copy of Malcolm Turnbull's new memoir, which the publisher says originated from Prime Minister Scott Morrison's office.
- The publisher has accused Scott Morrison's office of circulating a pirated copy
- A cease and desist notice has been issued to a staff member in the Prime Minister's office
- It is understood the staffer has since apologised
Publishing company Hardie Grant confirmed on Sunday night it would escalate the matter by referring the breach to the Australian Federal Police, after earlier firing off a cease and desist notice to a top aide within Mr Morrison's office, alleging a "massive breach of intellectual property" had been committed.
The initial legal warning came on Saturday, just hours after the company became aware of a pirated e-book allegedly circulating within government.
"What drew this to our attention was the distribution of the pirated edition from an address from within the PMO (Prime Minister's Office), sent to people who reported the illegal edition," Hardie Grant chief executive Sandy Grant said in a statement.
"Piracy is a problem for bestselling books and our lawyers have taken immediate action to make it clear we intend to take action against the person seemingly distributing A Bigger Picture widely and illegally, as a well as any site sharing the file."
It is understood the staffer has since apologised.
A statement from the PMO said it "will not comment on legal proceedings", and that "staff have been reminded of their obligations under copyright law, and of the high standards of conduct expected of them".
The letter from lawyers HWL Ebsworth, first published by the Guardian Australia, alleged the staffer was "responsible for unauthorised distribution" of Mr Turnbull's book.
"Further, that you are encouraging others to distribute it. Such an act is calculated to cause irreparable harm and damage to my clients."
Earlier on Sunday, Foreign Minister Marise Payne confirmed the existence of the e-book on Insiders but insisted it had "absolutely not" come from the PMO.
"I've received and deleted and I would encourage anyone who has received, to do the same thing," she said.
Mr Grant said he was frustrated by the lack of action being taken by the government.
"When I watch a senior government minister saying they received stolen goods but can't help us know where they came from, you despair," Mr Grant said.
"The bookshops in their electorates are closed or struggling, our staff are working reduced hours or being stood down and they seem to see that theft as something they can ignore. Would they ignore someone stealing from the local servo?"
Cabinet colleague and Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said he received a copy via WhatsApp from a "personal friend" last night and immediately deleted it.
"I don't think it's appropriate, whether it's his book or any other book or movie, that we take away the livelihoods of those people that are out there trying to make an honest dollar," he told reporters.
There is no suggestion that the Prime Minister himself was involved but the ABC understands the staff member in question is a trusted and close confidant of Mr Morrison.
The almost 700-page book will be officially released on Monday, 20 months after Mr Turnbull was toppled from the top job in what he describes as a "determined, right-wing insurgency".
In recent days, Mr Morrison has brushed aside questions about the memoir, telling reporters he is "not interested in any distractions" as he navigates the country through the COVID-19 crisis.
"I'm focused on the safety and health of Australians, and I think that's what you'd expect me to say and it's certainly my position," he said.
With a nationwide book tour and a series of high-profile interviews lined up this week, Mr Turnbull is set to remind voters of those dark days of August 2018 and how the Liberals, many of whom are still serving, behaved.
Health Minister Greg Hunt, who is the subject of a scathing critique in the memoir, said he would not be reading it.
"I certainly haven't read it, and I can't see any circumstances under which I'll have the time to be reading it," he said.
In an excerpt published in the Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Turnbull recalled the day his successor, Mr Morrison, won the Liberal leadership ballot over his challenger Peter Dutton, the Home Affairs Minister.
"If looks could have killed, Hunt would have fallen over dead," the excerpt reads.
"He'd been Dutton's wannabe deputy and had been working towards this day for months. Never liked, he'd never been more despised than he was at that moment."
Topics: government-and-politics, liberals, scott-morrison, turnbull-malcolm, federal-parliament, federal-government, australia
First posted