Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull has 24 hours to produce the alleged email at the centre of the OzCar affair or resign, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says.
Speaking outside a church in Canberra, Mr Rudd said there was a ticking clock for Mr Turnbull to provide to parliament the authentication of the email on which the entire case against himself, the treasurer and the government was based.
A key element of the OzCar affair is an alleged email from Mr Rudd's office to the treasury official handling the government assistance program for car dealers, Godwin Grech, suggesting he should give Queensland dealer John Grant priority.
Mr Grant is a friend and neighbour of the prime minister.
No trace of the email can be found, and Mr Rudd has called in both the Australian Federal Police and the auditor-general to investigate the issue.
"Mr Turnbull and the Liberals have been boasting for a long time now that they are in possession of this information. Well the time has come to produce this information to the parliament for authentication," Mr Rudd said on Sunday.
"If when parliament resumes in 24 hours, Mr Turnbull fails to produce this email, this email upon which his entire case against the government is based, for authentication he has no alternative but to stand in the parliament, apologise, and to resign."
The OzCar program was set up to help car dealers struggling to get finance due to the global financial crisis.
Mr Rudd and Treasurer Wayne Swan both deny allegations of giving Mr Grant preferential treatment in trying to help him gain a government assisted loan.
"Mr Grant has said that that did not occur. Secondly, I have said repeatedly that I had no representations from Mr Grant personally," Mr Rudd said.
"Thirdly my staff have said the same. Fourthly, when it comes to the production of any email, independent searches of the public service, the Treasury Department and the Prime Minister's Department have failed to produce any such email."
He said these matters required the "most fundamental explanation" from Mr Turnbull and the Liberal Party.
"Let me add this, this is the same Liberal Party that gave us children overboard ...," he said.
AAP
