Former prime minister John Howard will not reveal if he advised his former chief of staff Arthur Sinodinos to stand down from the ministry. ''He did the right thing,'' Mr Howard said during an appearance in Canberra on Thursday.
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Senator Sinodinos has stood aside as assistant treasurer ahead of his appearance before the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption.
Mr Howard described Senator Sinodinos as a very close friend.
''He is a person of great integrity and enormous ability,'' he said. ''It is appropriate that he be allowed an opportunity to participate in the ICAC hearings. I don't intend to comment on the substance or the merits … I simply place on record my continuing high regard and high esteem for him … Senator Sinodinos and I talk on a very regular basis.''
Asked if he had spoken to Senator Sinodinos since the decision on Wednesday to stand aside from the ministry, Mr Howard said: ''We talk on a regular basis.''
Asked directly if he had suggested the move to stand aside, Mr Howard said: ''We have regular discussions about lots of things and I don't intend to get into the [details] of those discussions.''
Mr Howard said he did not believe Prime Minister Tony Abbott had made any mistakes in appointing the ministry.
