Australian ministers barred from relationships with staff
AUSTRALIA’S PRIME minister has banned his ministers from having sexual relationships with staff as his deputy battled for political survival over revelations that he is expecting a baby with a former press secretary.
Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull accused Barnaby Joyce of making a “shocking error of judgment” by having an office affair which had hurt his wife, his four daughters and his new partner, who is due to give birth in April. “He has set off a world of woe for those women and appalled all of us,” Mr Turnbull said.
“Ministers, regardless of whether they are married or single, must not engage in sexual relations with their staff,” he said, stating a new rule that his cabinet must now adhere to.
Since news of the impending birth broke last week, Mr Turnbull has supported Mr Joyce and declined to comment on his personal circumstances out of respect for Mr Joyce’s estranged wife of 24 years and his children.
Last week, the PM talked down the prospect of Australia following the US House of Representatives by banning legislators from having sex with staff, saying they were entitled to private lives.
But with the opposition questioning whether Mr Joyce had breached the government’s guidelines for ministerial conduct, Mr Turnbull announced that his deputy will not serve as acting prime minister when Mr Turnbull travels to the US next week.
Motions to have Mr Joyce fired were defeated in the Senate and House of Representatives.
Mr Turnbull had said as recently as Wednesday that Mr Joyce would act as prime minister in his absence, which is the usual role of his deputy, but the PM said the government would now be led in his absence by its Senate leader, Mathias Cormann, because Mr Joyce was taking leave for a week.
Mr Joyce has said his marriage breakdown and his current relationship with Vikki Campion are private matters. But questions have been raised about her employment in two government jobs after working in Mr Joyce’s office.