Joyce under review
McCormack sworn in as Barnaby expenses eyed
TWO secret investigations into Barnaby Joyce’s conduct were afoot before he quit as Deputy Prime Minister last week.
Mr Joyce officially resigned as Nationals leader yesterday and was replaced by Michael McCormack, despite a last-ditch challenge from rogue Queensland backbencher George Christensen.
But the government still faced a barrage of Opposition questions about Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s handling of revelations about Mr Joyce’s affair with former staffer Vikki Campion, who is expecting a child in April.
Senior government minister Mathias Cormann told a Senate hearing that last Wednesday, Mr Turnbull had asked top public servant Martin Parkinson to investigate whether Mr Joyce had breached ministerial standards.
Later, Mr Turnbull told the House of Representatives: “There were constant claims that the member for New England (Mr Joyce) had been in breach of the statement of ministerial standards, but no particulars were being given.
“I discussed it with the member for New England, deputy prime minister at the time, that this work would be undertaken and it was undertaken by the secretary (of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet).”
Mr Parkinson ended his probe yesterday because Mr Joyce, having resigned, no longer has to comply with the ministerial code. But it emerged the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority had begun its own investigation into “the use of travel and travel-related expenses” by Mr Joyce and his former media adviser.
Senator Cormann denied reports the Prime Minister’s staff had been involved in “crisis talks” about Mr Joyce’s affair before last year’s by-election in New England.