Barnaby Joyce and Vikki Campion’s media deal sparks calls to ban politicians selling stories
BARNABY JOYCE’S National Party colleagues have joined other MPs calling for a ban on politicians receiving cash for media comment and say the former leader can no longer complain about a breach of privacy over revelations of his affair and love child.
NSW
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BARNABY Joyce’s National Party colleagues are calling for a ban on politicians receiving cash for media comment.
And they say their former leader can no longer complain about a breach of privacy over revelations he had a baby with his former media adviser.
In reaction to news the former deputy prime minister is selling the story of his love affair with Vikki Campion for $150,000 to Channel Seven — after bleating about a breach of privacy for months — MPs are calling for a ban on serving politicians profiting from the sale of stories to the media.
Veterans Affairs Minister Darren Chester, a member of the Nationals, said he supported a ban.
“This is unprecedented in my time in Parliament and I’m open to the conversation about banning MPs from benefiting personally from selling stories to the media. We need to have a closer look at it,” he said.
Mr Chester said he intends to discuss the ban further with his colleagues in the National Party and is expected to raise the issue at the next party-room meeting.
The minister, who was dumped by Mr Joyce from Cabinet in December, also said the sale of the story was a distraction and Mr Joyce could no longer complain about a breach of privacy.
Crossbench Centre Alliance senator Stirling Griff told The Daily Telegraph he would also support a change in parliamentary rules to prevent MPs charging for media appearances.
“It’s effectively cash for comment and for an MP, it’s part of their job to front up and talk to the media irrespective of whether it’s a personal issue or a public issue,” he said.
“If you have an instance of where an MP is in retirement, they are no longer an MP, then it’s a different matter.
“If they are still being paid by the public purse, they shouldn’t receive income from fronting up to the media.”
Liberal MP Sussan Ley said:
“My observation is that it is out of step with community expectations.”
Crossbench Senator Derryn Hinch said he did not support an outright ban on politicians selling their stories but accused Mr Joyce of “pure hypocrisy’’ for complaining about a privacy breach while accepting cash from the media.
“It is pure hypocrisy though to plead for privacy, complain about the Telegraph and then get paid,” he said.
“The FOI requests should now be honoured.”
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says he will talk to Mr Joyce “privately” over his former deputy’s decision to take a $150,000 cheque in return for an interview about his affair.
Mr Turnbull told Tasmanian local radio this morning the move had been “very widely criticised” and “it is certainly not something that I, it is not a course of action I would have encouraged him to take”.
“You can understand how I feel about it, but I will be circumspect, uncharacteristically circumspect, on this and leave it for a private discussion,” he said, adding Mr Joyce would have to add the income to Parliament’s register of interests.
His comments were echoed by Revenue Minister Kelly O’Dwyer, who this morning told the ABC “most Australians are pretty disgusted” by the news of the paid interview, which has been described as “cash for comment” by other MPs.
Yesterday, The Daily Telegraph revealed that while the couple was selling their story to Channel Seven’s Sunday Night program, Ms Campion had lodged a complaint with the Australian Press Council claiming this newspaper had breached their privacy.
Labor’s Anthony Albanese has also already said he did not agree with politicians getting paid for media interviews.
Australian Conservative Senator Cory Bernardi says he feels a “little uncomfortable” about Mr Joyce selling his story and it was not in the “best interest of the body politic.”
The Australian Government Statement of Ministerial Standards prevents ministers from receiving “any significant income” other than their ministerial salary, so they would be banned from selling their story.
However, backbenchers are understood not to be restricted in the same way.
