Conroy denies association with Obeid Federal cabinet minister Stephen Conroy denies he has had any first-hand association with the former NSW Labor factional boss Eddie Obeid, who is the subject of a corruption inquiry. "I've never had so much as a cup of coffee with him," Senator Conroy told ABC radio on Wednesday. Labor's Senate leader admitted to staying at an apartment owned by Mr Obeid in 2005 or 2006 after two other federal Labor ministers, Tony Burke and Bill Shorten, were named at a NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry on Tuesday. The same hospitality was extended to other Labor figures, including former NSW premier Morris Iemma, current NSW Labor leader John Robertson and former NSW minister Ian Macdonald, Mr Obeid said. Mr Shorten denies ever staying at the Obeid family's ski lodge. Senator Conroy says he was a guest of Mr Burke's when he stayed there. Mr Burke described his association with Mr Obeid as "a former parliamentary colleague" when asked on ABC radio whether the two had been "good mates." Both men were in the NSW upper house before Mr Burke left to enter federal politics. But no one from the Obeid family was at the ski lodge on the occasions he stayed there, Mr Burke said. I had an invitation to go there on weekends the family wasn't using the apartment, and on two occasions I took that up. He also confirmed that Senator Conroy was his guest at the lodge. Both ministers have now included the stays in parliament's pecuniary interests register, even though Mr Burke says they did not need to be noted under the rules. "Given the interest that was in there yesterday, I thought it was important to do it in the most public way you can," he said. Labor backbencher Doug Cameron says he met Mr Obeid once at a function. "I didn't receive a Christmas card after that," he told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday. Senator Cameron dismissed as "press hyperbole" commentary that the NSW disease had infiltrated federal Labor. Liberal frontbencher Scott Morrison said it was right to question the judgment of Mr Burke and Senator Conroy for accepting Mr Obeid's ski lodge invitation. Eddie Obeid has been known for a long time, a really long time, and people who want to claim ignorance about Eddie Obeid ... I think is trying to have one over the Australian people," he told reporters in Canberra. There is an old saying in this life that you can't choose your family but you do choose your friends, and it is clear that Eddie Obeid has friends in Julia Gillard's cabinet. The question for Prime Minister Julia Gillard was how many more friends of Mr Obeid were serving in her cabinet, Mr Morrison said. Labor frontbencher David Bradbury defended Mr Burke and Senator Conroy, saying criticism of them was politics of "smear by association." "They have declared these matters," he told reporters. I think there is no substantive allegation that is being made here. It appears to me to be just a little bit more of the smear of association that the Liberal Party seems so good at trying to cast the net over people. Independent Tony Windsor, a former NSW parliamentarian, said even in the 1990s people talked about Mr Obeid in "hushed muffles." However, he refused to comment on whether both Labor ministers should have refused Mr Obeid's invitation. "I'm not going to get into where people go on their weekends," Mr Windsor said. That's their business, not mine. Nationals senate leader Barnaby Joyce said the Obeid inquiry and controversies surrounding former speaker Peter Slipper and suspended Labor federal MP Craig Thomson had led Australians to question the honour of parliamentarians. "It is just a sad day for Australia," he told reporters. The worse thing we can do is have them doubt the integrity of the people who operate from this building and other buildings as we are here first and foremost for them, not for us. NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell said any nights spent in the ski lodge should have been included in parliament's pecuniary interests register a long time ago. "The rules for NSW require us to disclose any gifts and that includes hospitality over $500," he told Fairfax Radio. On the basis of what I've heard two nights at the ski lodge cost $2800, why wasn't it disclosed?