Barnaby blasts PM

PREMIERS in NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia have ruled out matching Malcolm Turnbull’s ban on sexual relations between ministers and staff.

The state’s leaders have no appetite to follow the Prime Minister’s ban, put in place because of Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce’s affair with former staffer Vikki Campion.

A spokesman for Liberal NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian yesterday said she had “no plans to change the ministerial code of conduct”.

Q u e e n s l a n d Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has no plans for a ban either, saying her ministers know the rules.

“My ministers know the public has high expectations of them and I expect them to meet those expectations,” she said.

SA Premier Jay Weatherill said common sense should prevail.

WA Premier Mark McGowan told reporters: “I have other priorities ... I really don’t want Western Australia to be dragged into this national circus going on.” that’s WAR has broken out at the very top of the Federal Government, with embattled Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce blasting Malcolm Turnbull as “inept” in an unprecedented attack as he clings to his job. In tit- for- tat press conferences, the leader ( left) and his deputy, who are supposed to be governing the nation in a coalition, hurled barbs at each other and exposed the deep fissures that have opened between the Liberal and National parties over Mr Joyce’s conduct in fathering a love child with his former media adviser. Returning fire after Mr Turnbull suggested he should consider resigning as Nationals leader for his “appalling error of judgment”, Mr Joyce ( far right) dug his heels in and accused the Prime Minister of causing harm with his comments. “In regards to the comments by the Prime Minister yesterday at his press conference, with regards to that, I have to say that, in many in- stances, they caused further harm,” Mr Joyce said.

“I believe they were in many instances inept and most definitely in many instances unnecessary.

“All it does is reinvest in the hurt that’s being felt by other people.

“All that is once more going to do is pull the scab off.”

Mr Joyce, who has been working to retain the support of his Nationals colleagues, said members of the party objected to “implied intervention” in their internal processes.

The PM then called another press conference to respond, emphasising his disappointment in Mr Joyce’s conduct, but not the National party.

The tensions come in the wake of revelations that Mr Joyce, 50, is having a baby with former adviser Vikki Campion, 32, with the scandal leading to allegations of misuse of entitlements and breaches of ministerial standards and thoroughly unravelling the Government’s agenda. Mr Joyce has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

On Thursday night Mr Turnbull attempted to draw a line in the sand on the scandal when he suggested the maverick Nationals leader had behaved appallingly, showing a “shocking error of judgment”, and should be considering his position.

“He has to consider his own position obviously. These are matters for Barnaby Joyce to reflect on. He