Piracy claims over ex-PM’s tell-all book

Senior cabinet ministers were sent pirated copies of Malcolm Turnbull’s new memoir, and his publisher has blamed one of Scott Morrison’s staff.

Nick Louw, a senior adviser to the prime minister, has reportedly apologised for circulating the copies of A Bigger Picture, ahead of its public release yesterday.

Turnbull told Guardian Australia Louw had contacted his lawyers and acknowledged he had circulated the digital version of the book to 59 acquaintances.

The former Liberal prime minister said the only reason for circulating copies in large numbers would be to reduce earnings from regular sales.

‘‘This is a matter of principle. Copyright theft costs hundreds of jobs,’’ he told the Guardian ina report published on Sunday evening.

Publisher Hardie Grant claims someone in Morrison’s office had circulated the book to people who then reported the ‘‘illegal edition’’.

The publisher’s law firm HWL Ebsworth, which is also representing Turnbull, sent a cease and desist notice to the staff member.

‘‘Piracy is a problem for bestselling books,’’ Hardie Grant chief executive Sandy Grant said in a statement.

‘‘Our lawyers have taken immediate action to make it clear we intend to take action against the person seemingly distributing

Bigger Picture widely and illegally, as well as any site sharing the file.’’

Foreign Minister Marise Payne denied the copy she was sent came from the prime minister’s office.

‘‘I’ve received and deleted and I would encourage anyone who has received (it) to do the same thing,’’ she told the ABC.

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said a personal friend outside the government sent him the book.

‘‘I received it on WhatsApp

Aand I deleted it immediately — I didn’t think (it) was appropriate,’’ he told reporters.

He said it wasn’t fair to take away the livelihoods of people trying to make an honest dollar.

Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has a chapter dedicated to him, titled Barnaby and the bonk ban, about his spectacular falling out with Turnbull after his affair with a staffer became public.

Joyce wasn’t sympathetic about the book being pirated.

‘‘He never respected anyone’s confidence and it looks like no one respected his copyright,’’ he told Seven’s Sunrise yesterday.

‘‘When Churchill had some spare time he wrote A History of the English-Speaking Peoples and won a Nobel Prize for literature.

‘‘But Malcolm wrote this rubbish – it’s just a get-square book.’’