Barnaby Joyce accuser a leader in WA farming sector

Catherine Marriott speaks for the first time about her harassment claim against Barnaby Joyce and why she reported him.

Catherine Marriott.

The woman who has accused Barnaby Joyce of sexual harassment says she wants him to be held to account.

Catherine Marriott, a ­respected leader in the agricultural sector and a former West Australian Rural Woman of the Year, has spoken out, saying she is determined that the Nationals follow her complaint through to its conclusion.

“I requested that a formal and confidential investigation into this incident be undertaken by the National party to ensure there is accountability in relation to the incident I raise, and to prevent this type of inappropriate behaviour towards women in the future,” Ms Marriott said in a statement released on Saturday, after The Weekend Australian revealed her complaint against Mr Joyce.

“This complaint was not made solely to address the incident against me — it is about speaking up against inappropriate behaviour by people in powerful positions.”

Her lawyer, Emma Salerno, said Ms Marriott hoped her complaint would see the party develop clear processes for handling such complaints.

Mr Joyce said yesterday that he had asked the National Party to refer the complaint to police. “I have asked for the right of that person who’s made the allegation, and I’ve asked for my right to defence, that that be referred to police,” he said.

Ms Marriott’s lawyer confirmed she had not taken the complaint to police “at this stage”.

When asked last night if he knew Ms Marriott, Mr Joyce ­declined to comment.

West Australian Nationals leader Mia Davies, who The Weekend Australian understands knows Ms Marriott professionally, took her complaint seriously immediately on learning of it this week.

Ms Marriott is a professional and a skilful advocate for rural Australia in her former role as chief executive of the Kimberley Pilbara Cattlemen’s Association and, more recently, as the WA project manager of the Co-operative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia. Ms Marriott, who grew up on a farm in Victoria, has also provided ­expert, strategic advice on ­priorities for the Australian Centre for International Agricultural ­Research as one of five commissioners to the government’s ­Commission for International Agricultural Research, and last year she was elected as a councillor in the Shire of Broome.

Barnaby Joyce announced his resignation on Friday.

Hours after Mr Joyce announced he would quit as ­Nationals leader, citing the sexual harassment complaint against him as the last straw, Ms Salerno said the decision to complain was not taken lightly and her client never wanted it made public. “What was most difficult and what prevents a lot of people in circumstances like this (from coming forward) is the repercussions of being dragged through a scandal,” Ms Salerno said. “It’s the last thing my client wanted.”

Ms Salerno said Ms Marriott wanted Mr Joyce to be held to account, and she hoped that her complaint would mean the party developed clear processes for handling such complaints.

Ms Marriott has worked with Nationals MPs but is known as not being party political. She is passionate about Australia’s potential in agriculture. At a Global Food Forum hosted by The Australian in 2015, Ms Marriott said her response to the question of why she worked in agriculture was: “Why wouldn’t you? What else would I want to do? You know, having grown up in agriculture, and seeing the opportunities and the capacity to be really innovative is absolutely overwhelming to me. But I think the fundamental value in why I work in agriculture is because it gives you the capacity to contribute to something not only within Australia but also globally that really matters.”