The Statement of Standards for Ministerial Staff says staff must not retain a directorship of a company without the written agreement of their Minister and the Special Minister of State. But questioned by Labor Senator Penny Wong in an estimates hearing on Tuesday night, Senator Ronaldson repeatedly refused to say whether he had signed such an agreement. Senator Wong also produced evidence that Mr Furnival may not have fulfilled a requirement of the standards that staff divest themselves, or relinquish control, of interests in any private company involved in the area of their Ministers' portfolio responsibilities. Ms Cain has previously said that when Mr Furnival began working for Senator Nash in September, the couple began a process of transferring Mr Furnival's shareholding in the company to her ashis co-director. But Senator Wong produced explanatory notes provided to staff which said transferring shareholdings to a spouse was not an acceptable form of divestment or relinquishment.

Senator Ronaldson also refused to say when Mr Furnival's employment had ended, or even to confirm that he was no longer employed, saying it was inappropriate to discuss the circumstances of an individual staff member. Earlier, Senator Ronaldson said it was ''common knowledge'' where Mr Furnival had worked before being appointed to Senator Nash's staff. ''It was not a secret, it wasn't hidden by anyone,'' he said. He said at the time Mr Furnival was employed, the government staffing committee – which approves all ministerial staff appointments – sought undertakings from Mr Furnival and Senator Nash that ''things would be done to