But the Prime Minister does know about the Cab Sec's refusal to the Senate Special Select Committee.
He referred to the "convention" of Cabinet confidentiality and said that violating it could be a slippery slope:
Jo
"Why has the cabinet secretary declined to provide documents to the senate special select committee?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Just like what I said that you expect former minister and prime ministers to step aside there are certain conventions, practices and one of the practices is the issuing of cabinet confidentiality. And we need to be able to stick to that convention that the minute you start to make certain exceptions that what will stop something else coming up one year from now a month from now five years from now saying oh there is another exception so the convention is that we sign an oath of confidentiality of the cabinet. But we have been very clear about it I've said over and over we did nothing! The paper was brought the cabinet and we rejected the definitive agreement so there is nothing to be able to answer."
Reporter
"But in public perception it looks like you guys are also frustrating the process in terms of the inquiry seeking to get to the bottom of what happened."
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Well the public perception happens because you all are continuing to push that angle. I think if you were to be fair as journalist you should be able to accept and recognize that a there is confidentiality in cabinet but again and I repeat I've said it over and over we did nothing! The paper came to the cabinet and we rejected and we tore up that and said we are not going to honor it. What more do you want from the cabinet?"
Reporter
"There are questions in terms of accompanying documents along with the agreement that was tabled in cabinet, who brought those documents who formulated those accompanying documents what sort of support did cabinet give to it was it divided in cabinet?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"There was nothing about to accompanying it was just a cabinet paper that goes along with the attached definitive agreement that's it. The cabinet paper was prepared as you know cabinet papers are also confidential. It was presented and then it was rejected. Punto final there is nothing else to add and I wish that you all would continue to explain that to the public and don't behave as if the government is trying to hide anything. There is the issue of cabinet confidentiality, we have even asked the attorney general to take a look to see if there is any way we can breach that confidentiality."
Reporter
"We don't know that sir."
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"But please man please accept the principle of cabinet confidentiality that's it you don't need to know anything else."
The accompanying document, we should note, was Draft Legislation to enact the Definitive Agreement.
