Barnaby Joyce scandal: Malcolm Turnbull issues a sex ban as Deputy PM set to go on leave
MALCOLM Turnbull has said that Barnaby Joyce has made a “shocking error of judgment” that “appalled” everyone, as he announced a groundbreaking change to ministerial standards.
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MINISTERS will be sacked for having sex with staff under stunning new standards announced by the Prime Minister in the wake of the Barnaby Joyce affair.
Malcolm Turnbull has said that Barnaby Joyce has made a “shocking error of judgment” that “appalled” everyone, as he announced his groundbreaking change to ministerial standards.
The Prime Minister said today that he is changing the standards, adding a provision saying that “ministers, regardless of whether they are married or single, must not engage in sexual relations with a staff”.
Otherwise, ministers will be sacked.
He said the existing Ministerial code of conduct was an old document and needed to be updated to deal with “very serious cultural issues” in Parliament.
““I have today added to the standards are very clear and unequivocal provision, ministers, regardless of whether they are married or single, must not engage in sexual relations with a staff,” Mr Turnbull said.
“Doing so will constitute a breach of the standards and while this new standard is very specific, ministers should be acutely aware of the context in which I making this change and the need for them always to behave in their personal relations with others and especially their staff, the staff of other ministers or members of the Australian public service, with integrity and respect.”
Mr Turnbull said he had no interest in prying into peoples’ personal or private affairs, but he was making the change because it is the new standard he is setting today.
“I am not here to moralise. But, we must recognise that whatever may have been acceptable or to which a blind eye was turned in the past, today, in 2018, it is not acceptable for a
minister to have a sexual relationship is with somebody who works for them,” he said.
“It is a very bad workplace practice. And everybody knows that no good comes of it. So, and of course, you know what attitudes in the corporate world and elsewhere are to this kind of thing. It is about time that this change was made. And this is the standard that I will hold from this day forth all of my ministers too.”
Mr Turnbull made the change after telling reporters that he had encouraged Mr Joyce to take leave in the wake of his affair with former staffer Vikki Campion.
“Barnaby made a shocking error of judgment in having an affair with a young woman working in his office,” he said.
“In doing so, he has set off a world of woe for those women and appalled all of us. Our hearts go out to them. It has been a dreadful thing for them to go through in the glare of publicity. Marriage break-ups are dreadful. But to do it, to have it, to experience it, in the full glare of the spotlight is a dreadful business.”
Mr Turnbull said Mr Joyce needs time away from work “to reflect, seek forgiveness and understanding from his wife and girls, and he needs to make a new home for his partner and their baby, who is coming in April”.
“The public have high expectations of them in terms of their personal conduct and decorum. Ministers should be very conscious that their spouses and children sacrifice a great deal so they can carry on their political career and their families deserve honour and respect. Ministers should also recognise that they must leave by example, values should be lived.”
Mr Joyce will be taking leave next week as the scandal surrounding his affair with a former staffer continues to damage the government.
Mr Turnbull’s comments come after ousted Labor senator Sam Dastyari said he was not surprised that the Nationals leader had faced criticism over his affair with a former staff member.
“The reality is, the amount of rooting that goes on in a place like Canberra,” he told KIIS106.5’s Kyle & Jackie O this week.
“In terms of unhealthy workplaces, it’s one of the most unhealthy workplaces in the country.”
Mr Dastyari said Canberra’s culture led to “rooting around”.
“You’ve got 4000 people in this building called Parliament, which is mostly just journos, staffers, politicians, living in this strange world of kind of alcohol and late nights and sitting and everyone is telling each other how important they are all the time ... all of it fuels this really weird environment,” he said.
Mr Dastyari said he didn’t care about “two people bonking”, but others do.
“The act of running a conservative political party — the National Party, whether you like them or not, are incredibly socially conservative — they’re running on family values and all those kind of issues,” he said.
“This is the bit that really bothers me. Don’t preach the Christian moral values and root around on the side. That’s the bit that bothers me.”
LIBS ABANDON JOYCE
And in a sign that Mr Joyce is increasingly losing the support of both Liberal MPs and his own party, a motion calling on him to resign from his position as Deputy Prime Minister for “clearly breaching the standards required of ministers” passed in the senate today 35 votes to 29.
Senior Liberal frontbencher Mathias Cormann did not speak in his defence, nor did the leader of the Nationals in the Senate Nigel Scullion.
Only Deputy Nationals leader Bridget McKenzie and Nationals senator Barry O’Sullivan spoke in his defence.
“Barnaby Joyce has done a phenomenal job and there is nothing in this indictment that you have so loosely laid down that would in any way compromise him to do the great job that he’s done,” Senator O’Sullivan said.
“He remains the leader of our party with absolute confidence. He will be there for as long as he chooses to be,” he said.
“You will not see our party move on it.
“We will stand with this man. He is a fine, fine leader of our party. He is a fine Member of Parliament, he is a fine Deputy Prime Minister.”
The motion does not mean Mr Joyce will have to resign but was more of a symbolic gesture.
Senator Cormann, the Finance Minister, will be Acting Prime Minister when Malcolm Turnbull travels to the US to meet President Donald Trump next week instead of Mr Joyce.
The Prime Minister announced in a short statement to Parliament in Question Time today that Mr Joyce would be taking personal leave from Monday, February 19 to Sunday, February 25.
Mr Turnbull is standing by the Deputy Prime Minister at this stage despite growing calls for him to resign.
But he appeared to be quietly furious in Question Time today that the scandal surrounding the Mr Joyce’s affair with his former staffer Vikki Campion was continuing to damage the government.
In response to a question from Opposition leader Bill Shorten asking why he had not sacked Mr Joyce over an alleged breach of ministerial standards, Mr Turnbull said he had received an “absolutely unequivocal assurances” from the Nationals leader that he had fully complied with all parliamentary disclosure requirements and with the Statement of Ministerial Standards.
He called on Labor to identify the exact clause Mr Joyce had breached if they wanted to make allegations about Mr Joyce’s acceptance of six months rent-free tenancy at the house of his friend, multi-millionaire Greg Maguire.
“His account is that he did not encourage or solicit the gift, and unless honourable members opposite are able to present a case that his statements are false, then he has not breached that particular ministerial standard which I just quoted from,” Mr Turnbull said.
The Prime Minister also stated he had not been told by Mr Joyce about his accommodation arrangements, but rather Mr Joyce had updated his members interest statement.
Rather than give a full-throated defence of Mr Joyce’s “rent-free accommodation”, Mr Turnbull turned to check with Mr Joyce the details.
He said he had to confirm because it was “quite recently” that the register had been updated.
Mr Turnbull then checked his tablet and said: “Look, in Clause 11 of his statement, he states, ‘Post election residual of six-month tenancy on Armidale premises.”
“Prior to that I was not aware that he had rent-free accommodation in Armidale.”
Mr Turnbull then clarified that: “It appears from the register of members’ interests that his disclosure which included the references to the premises on Armidale was received on 15 January 2018.
“It appears to have been signed by the Deputy Prime Minister on the third of January but for reasons, perhaps which the clerk could advise, it wasn’t posted on the website until 12 February.”
Mr Joyce’s office has confirmed to News Corp Australia that he began his tenancy at Mr Maguire’s house on December 3, the day after he won the New England by-election, but before he was sworn in again into Parliament.
JOYCE DUMPED FROM ACTING PM
Under usual procedures, the Deputy Prime Minister would step in to be acting prime minister Mr Turnbull travelled overseas.
Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop would then be next in line for the position as deputy Liberal leader.
Senator Cormann will take on the role as Ms Bishop will be in the United Kingdom, Slovenia and Hungary next week.
Mr Turnbull’s announcement today comes after News Corp Australia first revealed this week he would take leave rather than take on the role of acting prime minister.
Mr Turnbull had stated for the past three days that Mr Joyce would be taking over from him as acting prime minister.
“Does the Prime Minister’s announcement just before Question Time about the arrangements of who will be acting prime minister confirm that the Deputy Prime Minister cannot do his job? Or are we simply meant to believe it’s all a big coincidence?” Opposition leader Bill Shorten asked Mr Turnbull.
The Prime Minister responded by saying Mr Joyce would be on leave.
Labor frontbencher Mark Dreyfus followed up by asking Mr Joyce if he had misled Parliament four times today by stating that he did not approach Mr Greg Maguire to ask him for a place to stay.
Mr Joyce stood by his statement this morning that he did not call Mr Maguire and “ask him for a place for free”.
“Mr Maguire approached me. He made an offer. I offered to pay for it. “He said that he didn’t have to worry about it because I was a mate.
“You would hardly ring someone up, ask for something for free, then offer to pay for it, then get it for free. That’s because it didn’t happen. It is as per the statement.”
Mr Dreyfus then questioned Mr Joyce on whether he was aware of a more than $5000 payment made by an agency under his administration to a business owned by Mr Maguire.
The Labor MP then specified the payment was made for an event hosted at Mr Maguire’s Quality Powerhouse Hotel in Armidale that Mr Joyce attended.
The payment was revealed previously in Senate estimates, Mr Dreyfus said.
The Deputy Prime Minister responded he was not aware of the payment.
News Corp does not suggest there was any wrongdoing by Mr Joyce regarding this payment.
Mr Dreyfus later asked if it was just an “extraordinary coincidence” or if Mr Joyce or his office had any role in selecting the venue owned by his friend for the function.
It’s understood Mr Joyce will receive about $8000 in salary for the week he is on leave.
The function referred to was a networking event and dinner for the Agricultural Industry Advisory Council on March 31, 2016 and was organised by the Department of Agriculture.
There was $2691 spent on meals and $2377.50 spent on drinks, a document tabled in Parliament shows.
After 30 minutes of grilling in Question Time over the payment, Mr Joyce said he had been advised that the payment was for a function in Armidale.
“Obviously decisions in the vicinity of $5000 don’t generally go across the minister’s table,” he said.
“I’m unaware of any decision that I would ever have made to be part of that decision.”
Mr Joyce’s office released a letter clear him of any perceived wrongdoing this afternoon.
Barnaby Joyce’s office has released this letter relating to allegations raised in Question Time today @dailytelegraph pic.twitter.com/qrFTtw7bLb
— Kylar Loussikian (@kloussikian) February 15, 2018
His office has also issued a statement saying: “The Deputy Prime Minister is on leave next week after he advised the Prime Minister he wanted to support his family and partner after such intense public focus on personal matters.”
JOYCE: WHY I’M LIVING RENT-FREE
The move comes after Mr Joyce told Parliament he did not breach ministerial standards by accepting an offer to live rent-free at the townhouse of his multi-millionaire friend Greg Maguire.
The Deputy Prime Minister made the statement this morning after Labor moved a motion calling for him to resign over the gift, estimated to be valued at $12,000, arguing it breached official standards for ministerial conduct.
Questions have now risen over the truth of Mr Joyce’s claim during the statement that Mr Maguire approached him with the offer.
Mr Maguire told The Australian on Monday that Mr Joyce had approached him about a place to stay “because we are mates and he knew I had property around town”.
The Deputy Prime Minister will now come under pressure in Question Time at 2pm to explain the contradiction in what is the latest development in the scandal surrounding his affair with former staffer Vikki Campion.
He told Parliament in the statement this morning that Mr Maguire approached him during the New England by-election to offer his support as a friend.
“At the time, in the discussions, he said, ‘You’re living out of a suitcase and this is basically something that I should try and help you with,” Mr Joyce said.
“I took him up on the offer but I offered to pay for it.
“He said basically ‘Mates don’t pay for things when they’re helping other mates out’ and that’s precisely what happened.”
News Corp has approached Mr Maguire for clarification about the contradiction in their comments.
Greg Maguire told Rick Morton at The Oz the same thing he told me - that Joyce rang him asking for a place to stay. Barnaby Joyce told Parliament the opposite. https://t.co/7FkxEa2WwB
— Sharri Markson (@SharriMarkson) February 14, 2018
Labor’s motion for the Deputy Prime Minister to resign failed, with the government using it’s numbers to vote it down.
But Labor is expected to continue to pursue Mr Joyce, after also calling on the government to hand over the details of any special purpose flights taken by ministers in the past 18 months.
The details will be used to establish whether there has been any misuse of taxpayer funds on flights taken by Mr Joyce and Ms Campion.
The government has agreed to table the latest update on flights today.
Mr Joyce denied he breached ministerial standards over the gift of tenancy in his statement this morning.
He said he was told he did not need to declare the offer after he was re-elected as it was from a friend, but did so anyway.
Mr Joyce also said he was not a minister at the time he accepted the offer as it was made during the New England by-election.
“I believe that I did everything that I believe was fully transparent,” Mr Joyce said.
Labor frontbencher Chris Bowen told the House as he seconded the motion for Mr Joyce to resign that it was an “open and shut case”.
“This Deputy Prime Minister chose not to make a full declaration to the Australian people,” Mr Bowen said.
“He’s entitled to make arrangements for his accommodation ... but it’s rent-free.
“If he’s receiving a benefit, then the ministerial guidelines are crystal clear.
“This is not a grey area. This is not a matter of nuance ... this is an open-and-shut case and that case says this Deputy Prime Minister should resign.”
As Mr Joyce arrived at Parliament House today he appeared more upbeat amid the ongoing scandal over his relationship with former staffer, Vikki Campion.
“I’ve got the support if my party room, we’re back into business, we’re working hard, we’re doing what we’re supposed to do,” Mr Joyce told reporters as he arrived.
Asked if he was confident he would remain Nationals leader after the party’s federal MPs did not move to replace him yesterday, Mr Joyce said: “Yes, I am, I am very confident.”
‘IMMORAL NOT ILLEGAL’
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said today Mr Joyce had “acted immorally” in his affair with a staffer but had not broken the law.
Mr Dutton said it would be up to the National party to decide his future.
“It’s a mess of his own making, he admits that,” he told 2GB radio.
“Has he broken the law, no, has he acted immorally, yes.
“The other story could have been he’d been having an affair with someone, the girl got pregnant, and he abandoned her or walked away from that arrangement.”
Mr Dutton said he had not broke the law and it was not up to the Prime Minister to decide his fate.
“Malcolm Turnbull doesn’t hire and fire the leader of the National Party, our Coalition partner,” he said.
“The Nationals will make a decision about their leadership and it’s an issue for them.
“He has very great strength being able to cut through, tell it how it is in relation to certain issues. He has been able to deliver a lot for regional Australia.
“His party room will weigh up all of those issues.”
JOYCE’S JOB ‘UNTENABLE’
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten declared Mr Joyce’s position had become “untenable” this morning after reports that he accepted the offer of his friend, millionaire businessman Greg Maguire, to live for six months rent-free in a townhouse in Armidale.
MORE: Labor to call on Malcolm Turnbull to sack Barnaby Joyce
Mr Shorten said he agreed with most Australians that Mr Joyce had a right to a private life but that apparent conflicts of interest were being revealed “daily”.
Calling on Malcolm Turnbull to intervene, Mr Shorten said: “The Prime Minister has a ministerial code of conduct which if he doesn’t uphold is not worth the paper it’s written on.”
His comments come after The Daily Telegraph reported Labor would step up its attack in Question Time on Mr Joyce today, arguing the ministerial code of conduct did not allow ministers to accept gifts from friends such as Mr Maguire’s rent free deal.
The Statement of Ministerial Standards on gifts states: “Ministers are required to exercise the functions of their public office unaffected by considerations of personal advantage or disadvantage.
“Ministers, in their official capacity, may therefore accept customary gifts, hospitality, tokens of appreciation and similar formal gestures in accordance with the relevant guidelines, but must not seek or encourage any form of gift in their personal capacity.”
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud, an ally of Mr Joyce’s, said today that it was time to stop focusing on his personal life and allow Mr Joyce to continue to deliver for rural and regional Australians.
“Barnaby Joyce has been the greatest Deputy Prime Minister for rural and regional Australia in our history,” Mr Littleproud told the ABC.
“The delivery of infrastructure and services to people of rural and regional Australia is second-to-none since he became Deputy Prime Minister.
“I think he obviously wants to continue to do that and so long as he continues to deliver the infrastructure and the services that people expect, it’s time to put this aside, stop focusing on someone’s personal life.”
Mr Littleproud told News Corp he had said all he intended to on his party leader’s situation when asked about reports Mr Joyce had received a salary from the National Party for six weeks when he contested the New England by-election last year.
Fairfax Media reports that party funds were used to provide Mr Joyce a wage while he campaigned to win the December 2 by-election after he was kicked out of Parliament for being a dual citizen.
The Nationals confirmed to Fairfax that Mr Joyce was paid a salary but said it was “not unprecedented for candidates to receive a form of income in exceptional circumstances”.
However, Liberal MP John Alexander was not paid a salary when he had to fight to regain his seat of Bennelong after he was forced out of Parliament during the dual citizenship fiasco.
Six weeks of his $416,000-a-year salary would work out to be $48,000 for that period, however Mr Joyce’s spokesman said that estimation was “substantially incorrect” and that “terms of contracts and decision making process of the party should be referred to the federal director”.
Mr Joyce’s position seems to be safe for now after Nationals MP fell in behind their leader after support from Nationals president Larry Anthony and Mr Joyce’s deputy Bridget McKenzie.
“It is most important that the parliamentary team never makes a decision about the leadership in the heat of the moment,” Mr Anthony told The Australian. “It is important the MPs and senators get back to their constituencies next week and test the feeling of the voters.”
The Australian also reported that Labor will use Senate estimates hearings this month to query why Mr Joyce’s former media adviser-turned-partner was promoted to Resources Minister Matt Canavan’s office in April and transferred to then chief whip Damian Drum’s office in August.
Originally published as Barnaby Joyce scandal: Malcolm Turnbull issues a sex ban as Deputy PM set to go on leave
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