SYDNEY – Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Thursday banned sexbetween ministers and staff and rounded on his deputy for a “shocking errorof judgment” by having an affair with a press secretary.
Deputy Australian Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, a Catholic who campaignedon “family values” and married for 24 years, is expecting a child with hisformer staffer in April.
Turnbull denounced the affair at a press conference in Canberra after aweek in which the scandal threw his centre-right government into turmoiland strained the alliance between his Liberal Party and Joyce’s NationalParty.
He stopped short of sacking Joyce, which would have put the government’snarrow one-seat majority at risk were he expelled from parliament.
But Turnbull said the scandal had prompted overdue changes to ministerialconduct rules, and announced new standards broadly similar to a ban onrelationships between lawmakers and staffers adopted last week by U.SCongress.
“In 2018, it is not acceptable for a minister to have a sexual relationshipwith somebody who works for them. It is a very bad workplace practice. Andeverybody knows that no good comes of it,” he said.
“Ministers, regardless of whether they are married or single, must notengage in sexual relations with staff. Doing so will constitute a breach ofthe standards.
He said the changes take effect “as of today” and that Joyce will “have toconsider his own position” as leader of the National Party.
Turnbull said earlier Joyce would take a week’s break next week, whichavoids the need for him to fill in as acting prime minister duringTurnbull’s scheduled visit to meet U.S President Donald Trump in Washingtonnext week.
The week off comes after an opinion poll showed support for Joyce, aplain-spoken small-town accountant turned politician, had tumbled in hisrural electorate.
The percentage of voters backing him crashed to 43 percent, according tothe ReachTEL poll published in Fairfax newspapers on Thursday, down fromthe 63 percent margin he won at a by-election in December.
He also faces intensifying pressure over his failure to declare therelationship with his former press secretary, Vikki Campion, when she washired for two highly-paid government positions outside his office.
And there are questions about Joyce’s acceptance, rent-free, of a townhousebelonging to a wealthy friend, Greg Maguire, and whether Joyce brokeministerial rules forbidding asking for gifts. Joyce denied asking for thetownhouse.
“Most people would realise that at the time of a marriage break-up, it isnot unusual for those who you are close to, to offer support,” he toldparliament.
“Mr Maguire approached me…he said: ‘You’re living out of a suitcase, andthis is basically something that I should try and help you with.’ I tookhim up on the offer but I offered to pay for it.”
He has also said he did not break any rules over Campion’s employmentbecause she was not his “partner” at the time. – Agencies