Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is refusing to say exactly when a top public servant was warned for failing to cooperate with a lobbying probe.
Public Service Commission chief executive Rob Setter was reportedly asked to audit his staffs' contacts with lobbyists in the previous 12 months by Integrity Commissioner Nikola Stepanov early last year.
Instead, Mr Setter wrote back on February 18 to Dr Stepanov saying she didn't have legal power to ask for an audit and he instead provided her with a basic lobbying log.
The commissioner also asked 20 other government department heads to do audits and all complied, except for the PSC boss, The Australian reported.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says Mr Setter should have ordered an audit, saying her director-general Rachel Hunter had spoken to him about the matter
However, she refused to say exactly when the PSC boss had been warned about complying with lobbying probes.
"Ok, sorry, any other questions," Ms Palaszczuk asked reporters on Wednesday.
"Are there any other questions."
At that time PSC had control over the budget and the staff of the Integrity Commissioner's office, and Dr Stepanov has previously revealed that last year she had only had between one and three staff to help her probe illegal lobbying.
However, Ms Palaszczuk denies the Integrity Commissioner's staff were cut down to two.
"That's not my understanding about the staffing arrangement," she said.
"The staffing wasn't cut down, but my understanding is it was four (staff), and there were some recruitment processes."
Dr Stepanov resigned from her role as the lobbyist watchdog last month, to finish in July, and has since complained of interference.
The Crime and Crime Corruption Commission is probing her complaint that a laptop was taken from her office and wiped without her knowledge or permission last year.
Public Service Commission chief executive Robert Setter has also denied the PSC raided Dr Stepanov's office or seized anything from the Integrity Commissioner.
However, he said in a statement that "a lap top was provided to the CCC at their request".
The premier said she tried to have old bullying and credit card misconduct claims against Dr Stepanov probed after the integrity commissioner had complained about the laptop.
Ms Palaszczuk she was obligated to refer Dr Stepanov to the Economics and Governance Committee.
The committee dismissed the allegations, which were two-years old and had previously been dismissed by the CCC.
