Albanese to keep ‘bonk ban’ for ministers but stop them using blind trusts

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will continue Malcolm Turnbull’s “bonk ban” for his ministers and bar them from using blind trusts to avoid a repeat of the turmoil the Morrison government faced.

Albanese will on Friday release his ministerial code of conduct, maintaining much of what was used when Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd held office between 2007 and 2013.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s new ministerial code of conduct maintains a ban on relationships between ministers and their staff.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

But he will keep the ban put in place by Turnbull on ministers having relationships with their staff.

Turnbull put the so-called bonk ban in place following revelations of an affair between then-Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce and staffer Vikki Campion in 2018. Joyce is now in a long-term relationship with Campion and the couple have two children.

Scott Morrison was a strong supporter of Turnbull’s ban and it was maintained by Morrison when he became prime minister.

Albanese has changed a key element of the code of conduct around ministerial shareholdings in the wake of former attorney-general Christian Porter’s use of a blind trust.

Porter received funding for a defamation action against the ABC via donors whose identities were not made public. The money was put into a blind trust.

A privileges committee investigation into the issue found Porter had done nothing wrong by using the trust, but concluded current disclosure requirements were inadequate and urged the House of Representatives to make them more detailed.

Morrison’s code of conduct stated ministers could use a blind trust to avoid potential conflicts of interest between their financial holdings and decisions they may have to make.

But Albanese’s code makes clear that ministers should not have any direct shareholdings.

They will be required to divest themselves of shares, outside those contained in superannuation or “diversified managed funds”. There will be no arrangements for blind trusts.

Ministers will also be held personally responsible for their private interests, preventing them from delegating responsibility to anyone else including a person who may manage a blind trust on their behalf.

Albanese said his ministers would be expected to honour the code and to maintain the highest levels of integrity, fairness, accountability and responsibility.

“I expect ministers to uphold the highest of standards in both their professional and personal lives,” he said.

Anthony Albanese will continue Malcolm Turnbull’s “bonk ban” for his ministers.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“This new code of conduct for ministers delivers on the government’s promise to be open and accountable.”

Albanese said the code reinforced the government’s commitment to maintaining a “safe and respectful environment” for all staff.

Morrison added several paragraphs to the code, which ran to just 11 pages, days before the federal election that related directly to issues relating to the report by Sex Discrimination Commission Kate Jenkins into workplace culture across parliament.

The former prime minister required ministers to ensure they took “reasonable care” that their actions did not adversely affect the health and safety of their staff. They also had to make sure staff understood that behaviour including sexual assault, harassment and bullying were unacceptable.

Albanese’s full ministerial code of conduct hasn’t been released, but those changes are expected to be retained in it.

All ministerial staff will have to provide a written declaration of their private interest to their employing minister.

The code will continue to require ministers to stop any professional practice or day-to-day management of an outside business. They also cannot act as a consultant or adviser, paid or unpaid.

Bans on ministers employing family members or partners as staff in their own offices have also been continued by Albanese.

Ministers will also be required to commit to not act as a lobbyist or have business meetings with members of government for 18 months after leaving the ministry.

The updated code of conduct forms part of Albanese’s plan to improve transparency across all levels of government.

Albanese has committed to a national anti-corruption commission by the end of this year. That commission will cover MPs.

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