Barnaby Joyce’s sex-case accuser dismayed as inquiry fails to reach finding

An eight-month investigation has failed to reach a finding over a sexual harassment allegation against Barnaby Joyce.

Barnaby Joyce in Canberra. Picture: Kym Smith

An eight-month investigation has failed to reach a finding over the sexual harassment allegation against Barnaby Joyce that he described as “the straw that broke the camel’s back” when he was fighting to keep his job as Deputy Prime Minister.

The rural leader who made the allegation in a formal complaint to the Nationals expressed her disappointment that the party wound down its investigation citing lack of evidence.

Former West Australian of the Year Catherine Marriott revealed in a written statement to newsrooms yesterday that she had flown from her home in WA’s north to the east coast three times at her own expense to assist the inquiry.

Ms Marriott said she was informed by email on Thursday night that the Nationals were unable to make a determination “despite the investigation finding I was ‘forthright, believable, open and genuinely upset’ by the incident”. “The result of this investigation has underpinned what is wrong with the process and the absolute dire need for change. This outcome simply isn’t good enough,” she said.

Mr Joyce denied the sexual harassment allegation, which he labelled “spurious and defamatory”.

He said the allegation was the “straw that broke the camel’s back” when he resigned as Nationals leader on February 23. He had faced weeks of pressure over revelations he had an affair with his former staffer Vikki Campion, who gave birth to his first son earlier this year and who was moved between political offices before the relationship became public.

“I’m extremely disappointed that after eight months of waiting, three trips to the east coast at my own expense to meet with the party, my name and confidential complaint being leaked to the national media, and my personal and professional life being upended, the National Party have reached a ‘no conclusion’ verdict,” Ms Marriott said.

Catherine Marriott.

She said that while she was dismayed, she was not surprised as the Nationals “never had the external processes in place to deal with a complaint of sexual harassment by a member of parliament”.

She said her complaint was handled internally by the NSW Nationals executive with no professional external expert brought in to handle the matter.

“The only positive to come from this harrowing experience has been the development of a much improved policy by the party that I volunteered to contribute towards and strongly encouraged the development of,” Ms Marriott said. She said she had wanted the party to acknowledge that it needed to reform the way complaints such as hers were managed. “I feel heartened that this has been achieved,” she said.

“While it has come at enormous personal expense, I was not prepared to walk past this kind of behaviour any longer.”

In a statement yesterday, the NSW Nationals confirmed its investigation of the complaint against Mr Joyce was complete and it would not release the report.