Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s ‘frank’ talk with Barnaby Joyce

MALCOLM Turnbull says he has no issues with Barnaby Joyce despite his scathing attack on the Nationals leader over his affair with a staffer.

PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull says he and Barnaby Joyce have had a “frank” discussion after his scathing attack on the Nationals leader over his affair with a staffer.

“I don’t want to go into that sort of examination but I can assure you that the relations are very strong,” Mr Turbull told a media conference in Melbourne.

“ I know there was a great excitement in the media that there was some Coalition clash but there are no issues between the Liberal and National parties at all — none at all.”

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says relations between the Liberal and National parties are strong.

On Thursday, while announcing a ban on ministers having sex with staffers, Mr Turnbull described Mr Joyce’s affair with former media adviser Vikki Campion as a “shocking error of judgment” causing “a world of woe”.

That provoked an angry response from Mr Joyce, who said the remarks were “inept” and “unnecessary”.

Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce has been under fire. Picture: Kym Smith

The pair met for more than an hour on Saturday to discuss the public spat, but the Prime Minister reportedly emerged frustrated that the Nationals leader still didn’t seem to “get it”.

Earlier today, Treasurer Scott Morrison defended Mr Turnbull’s scathing attack on his deputy Barnaby Joyce, agreeing he was “shocked and appalled” by Mr Joyce’s behaviour.

“I’m sorry — if you sleep with your staff, it’s not private anymore, it’s public, because you’re a minister in a position of responsibility and power, over those who work for you,” Mr Morrison told the ABC’s Insiders.

“And we owe it to them to live up to this standard.”

Originally published as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s ‘frank’ talk with Barnaby Joyce