Aussie minister 'not a spy' for Washington: colleague

Senior Australian politicians insisted Thursday the country's sports minister was not a "spy" for Washington after cables published by WikiLeaks reportedly revealed the Australian official was a "protected" source for the US.

Mark Arbib, a key figure in June's overthrow of former prime minister Kevin Rudd, was a valued contact in Canberra and met US diplomats "re-peatedly," according to WikiLeaks memos published exclusively by the Sydney Morning Herald.

He kept US officials briefed on the inner workings of Australia's government and of the ruling Labor Party, according to the report, including candid commentary ahead of Rudd's overthrow by his deputy, Julia Gillard.

"(Rudd wants) to ensure that there are viable alternatives to Gillard within the Labor Party to forestall a challenge," Arbib reportedly told US diplomats, some eight months before the election.

Senior politicians were quick to defend Arbib, including fellow election architect Bill Shorten, now the assistant treasurer.

"I completely reject the idea that he is a spy; I just think that's nonsense," Shorten told Sky News. "I think that the commentary I've seen this morning in the newspapers is dinner party gossip masquerading as US intelligence."

AFP