Barnaby Joyce has given an explosive press conference, saying Malcolm Turnbull’s words were ‘inept’
MALCOLM Turnbull has tried to hose down his public crisis with Barnaby Joyce, after the Deputy PM launched an attack on his “inept” and “unnecessary” remarks about his affair.
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MALCOLM Turnbull has tried to repair his relationship with Barnaby Joyce after the Deputy Prime Minister launched an attack on his “inept” and “unnecessary” remarks.
The Prime Minister had said Mr Joyce made a “shocking error of judgement” and dubbed his behaviour appalling as he announced groundbreaking new ministerial standards yesterday that would ban sex between ministers and their staffers.
An angry Joyce hit back this morning, prompting Mr Turnbull to try to hose down the increasing public tension with the Nationals leader in a brief statement in Tasmania this afternoon.
Mr Turnbull said he stood by his remarks about Mr Joyce.
But he denied he ever tried to influence the National Party deliberations.
“There is no effort by me or anyone else in the Liberal Party to influence the National Party or its deliberations in any way, in any way at all, and there has been no criticism of the National Party whatsoever,” he said.
MORE: Malcolm and Barnaby’s death struggle puts Coalition at new low
Mr Turnbull confirmed he had not spoken to Mr Joyce today but said they had been in contact.
Mr Turnbull said he had seen Mr Joyce’s press conference and understood it was a “very stressful time” for the Deputy Prime Minister.
He thanked the Nationals leader for his support for the “very important change” to the ministerial standards.
“There is a need to have more respectful workplaces, consistent with standards that are applied in the business sector and other parts of our community, and so the change that I’ve made, he has supported,” he said.
He said the changes were discussed with Mr Joyce during the week.
Mr Turnbull said his comments on Mr Joyce’s conduct yesterday were sentiments that were “quite consistent with those expressed by many members of the National Party itself”.
JOYCE WON’T RESIGN
Mr Joyce is refusing to resign as the leader of the National Party in the wake of a scandal over his affair with a former staffer.
The Deputy Prime Minister gave an extraordinary press conference in Parliament House today, slamming Malcolm Turnbull’s earlier comments about his behaviour being a “shocking error of judgment.”
The Prime Minister yesterday dubbed Mr Joyce’s conduct “appalling” while announcing groundbreaking new ministerial standards that ban sexual relations between ministers and their staff.
Mr Joyce today said Mr Turnbull’s comments were “inept”, “unnecessary” and “hurtful”.
He singled widening division between the Nationals and Liberal parties, blasting the intervention by the liberal leader into his party.
“It was public knowledge what was being repeated, it ran on the front pages of papers and all it does is reinvest in hurt of other people,” Mr Joyce said.
“I have to say that because I listened to it and I thought that was completely unnecessary and all that is going to do is basically pull the scab off to everybody to have a look at.”
MORE: Joyce v Turnbull could lead to all-out political warfare
LABOR: PM MUST SACK JOYCE
Opposition leader Bill Shorten seized on the division, declaring the Coalition government was now in a “full-blown crisis”.
“The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister are now at war with each other,” he told reporters at a press conference in Melbourne this afternoon.
“Quite frankly, the way these two men are behaving, neither of them are fit for the high office they currently hold.”
Mr Shorten called on Mr Turnbull to sack Mr Joyce for the sake of the Australian people.
Under the Coalition agreement, the Leader of the Liberal Party is Prime Minister while the Nationals leader is the Deputy Prime Minister.
Only Nationals MPs would be able to remove Mr Joyce and appoint a new leader.
And, after Mr Joyce starred down a handful of Nationals MPs who called on him to consider his future within the party earlier this week, the party is currently behind their leader.
Nationals MP Darren Chester told reporters at Parliament it had been a “rough week” but the Coalition would survive.
“We’ve got to get back to focusing on things that matter to Australians,” he said.
He dodged questions about Mr Joyce and Mr Turnbull’s public criticism of each other.
BACKBENCH REVOLT AGAINST TURNBULL
Mr Turnbull is now under fire from his own backbench.
Liberal backbencher Kevin Andrews urged Mr Turnbull to delay plans to travel to the US until the two leaders had worked out their differences in private.
“Publicly taking shots at each other in press conferences is totally unhelpful,” he told Sky News.
“Mr Turnbull should not be going to America until he’s sorted this out.”
Mr Andrews also labelled the sex ban “haphazard” and “ridiculous” and said it would be impossible to police.
Mr Joyce added in the press conference that he would not make comments about the leadership of the Liberal Party, and would not expect comments about the leadership of the National Party.
“There is nothing that we dislike more than implied intervention into the party processes of the National Party,” he said.
“We are an independent vertical unit and make our own decisions especially about those who are at the office holders.”
JOYCE’S SEX BAN WARNING
A defiant Mr Joyce repeated an apology to his wife, four daughters and partner, Vikki Campion for the hurt he had caused them, but said he would remain in the position to look after his constituents, and rural and regional Australians.
He also warned Mr Turnbull’s new sex ban would lead to increased scrutiny on relationships among politicians in the future.
“It goes without saying that this will create immense fodder for the good people in the media and it will obviously reverberate across all political parties,” he said.
“I will go on by saying that I would not wish on friend nor foe the hurt, the scrutiny, the intense intrusion into your life that I have gone through in this process.”
But Mr Joyce also said the National Party would support the ban now it had been announced.
BARNABY EXPLAINS RENT-FREE HOME
Mr Joyce smashed the media for highlighting his decision to take up the offer of friend, multi-millionaire Greg Maguire, to live rent free in his townhouse in Armidale, saying it drew dangerous attention to the home when he had received death threats in the past.
Despite his stark criticism of Mr Turnbull’s remarks, Mr Joyce said he intended to ensure their relationship returned to an “even keel”.
“I stand by my statement that I leader of the National Party and he is the leader of the Liberal Party and it is incredibly important for our nation that these two parties get together and work closely,” he said.
“It has been the most successful operation in post-WWII Australia and, like all relationships, that is what we have to work on.”
Mr Joyce said he would not resign because the National Party still supported him.
“We have a job to do,” he said.
“This was a personal issue dragged into the public arena and I don’t believe people should resign in any job because of personal issues.”
PRESSURE ON TURNBULL GOVERNMENT
Mr Turnbull would lose government if a Coalition split were to occur, forcing Australians to the polls for a federal election early.
The Prime Minister needs the National Party to retain his tenuous one-seat majority in the House of representatives.
Labor holds 69 seats in the lower house while the National Party hold 16 seats and the Liberal Party have just 60.
If a Coalition split were to occur, neither Labor or the Liberal Party would be able to form a majority government.
A split between the Coalition has only occurred twice in its history and only while in Opposition.
The last split occurred in 1987.
Dr Jill Sheppard, from the Australian National University’s School of Politics and International Relations, told News Corp the relationship breakdown between the two party leaders was not likely to end the Coalition.
Mr Turnbull’s trip to the US next week to meet President Donald Trump would allow “cooler heads” within the parties to resolve the situation, she said.
Dr Sheppard said the spat was also unlikely to bring the government down.
It was just another obstacle Mr Turnbull would have to navigate, similar to the citizenship saga.
“He’s show he’s willing to put his head down and ride through the drama,” she said.
Mr Joyce rejected suggestions today that the scandal surrounding his affair would continue to be a distraction and damage the government.
“It is incumbent upon all people to make sure we get back to the issues that are important.
“I am quite supported by my electorate and they want me to get back to the job.”
At Mr Turnbull’s press conference in Hobart earlier, he said he had confidence in Mr Joyce.
“Barnaby Joyce has my confidence as Deputy Prime Minister,” he said.
“He is the leader of the National Party.
“He has made an error of judgment obviously and I talked about that yesterday.
“He recognises that, he has apologised for that, he has taken some leave and he is considering his position.”
Mr Turnbull’s sex ban has already sparked controversial debate among state premiers, with Queensland and South Australia ruling out the ban on sexual relations between ministers and their staff.
Qld Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and SA Premier Jay Weatherill said it wasn’t needed in their states.
“This is just a matter of common sense,” Mr Weatherrill said. “If we start having to put a rule in place every time to legislate for common sense, we’ll be spending a lot of our time making rules.”
Originally published as Barnaby Joyce has given an explosive press conference, saying Malcolm Turnbull’s words were ‘inept’
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