George Brandis asked to front Senate Estimates again over Bell Group involvement

Federal Attorney-General George Brandis has been asked to again explain to a Senate Estimates committee his involvement in litigation to claw back nearly $1 billion from Alan Bond's failed Bell Group.

Labor, the Greens and crossbench senators Nick Xenophon and Derryn Hinch have co-signed a letter to Senator Brandis, asking him to address what they describe as an "inconsistency" between his previous statements on the matter and comments from his WA counterpart Michael Mischin.

Senator Brandis has denied claims he wanted the Commonwealth to run dead in a High Court case to let the WA Government get first priority on the settlement of the Bell Group.

Last week, Mr Mischin told the ABC's 7.30 that Senator Brandis' first involvement in the case was in February 2016.

That is a month earlier than what the Attorney-General told the Senate and a Senate committee late last year.

The letter to Senator Brandis, signed by Labor's Senate leader Penny Wong, Greens leader Richard Di Natale and Senators Hinch and Xenophon describe Mr Mischin's comments as "clearly inconsistent with your repeated assertions."

"Mistakes can be made. However, your specific statement declaring your first personal involvement being on 3 March was not an off-the-cuff remark," the senators wrote.

"It was made after you had been given several hours to prepare. You stood by your formal statement repeatedly in the Senate.

"The specific claim was repeated to a committee hearing more than a week later."

The letter invites the Attorney-General to take the opportunity at today's Senate Estimates hearing into his department to provide an explanation.

"Should you not accept this invitation, we will need to consider further options to ensure an appropriate explanation to the Senate," the letter threatens.

Senator Brandis is expected to make a further statement on the matter to the Senate committee.

Video 7:40 Claim George Brandis involved in Bell Group matter earlier than he says

7.30

Last week, Senator Brandis told the ABC he had seen Mr Mischin's statement and did not dispute what it said.

"I do not recall the conversation and it is clear from Mr Mischin's statement that any reference to the Bell matter was brief and inconclusive," Senator Brandis said in a statement.

"I note that Mr Mischin says that when he raised the matter with me, I told him that I was not in a position to discuss it then, but would do so in the future. I did so on March 4, 2016, which is when I had my first discussion with him about the matter.

"This is consistent with my account of these events as set out in my statement to the Senate on November 28, 2016, and elsewhere."