Joyce affair: Scott Morrison in lockstep with Malcolm Turnbull on ban

Voters have strongly endorsed the ministerial sex ban, Newspoll finds, as Scott Morrison backs the PM’s rebuke of Barnaby Joyce.

Treasurer Scott Morrison. Picture: Kym Smith.

Malcolm Turnbull’s sex ban for Ministers has received universal support with two thirds of Australian voters backing the plan but suggesting it should go further to cover all politicians and their employees.

An exclusive Newspoll conducted for The Australian, has revealed that 64 per cent of voters nationally, both city and bush, support a sex ban on the government executive with Labor voters overwhelmingly leading the pack when it comes to the sexual behaviour of their elected members.

The poll of 1623 voters taken over the three days following Mr Turnbull’s edict, asked a broader question of whether a sex ban should apply to all politicians, not just ministers.

However, it was Coalition voters who were less inclined to support it with only 57 per cent in favour compared to 72 per cent of Labor voters. Even left wing Greens voters backed the plan with 64 per cent saying yes along with 69 per cent of One Nation voters.

Newspoll special question affairs ban

Treasurer Scott Morrison yesterday backed Mr Turnbull’s stinging rebuke of Barnaby Joyce’s ­affair with his former media adviser Vikki Campion, declaring ministers sleeping with their staff had become a public matter.

Mr Morrison’s strong language came as Labor appeared reluctant to back Mr Turnbull’s ban on sex between ministers and their staff, with Bill Shorten saying he did not give “instant answers on important issues”.

The Prime Minister announced the ban on Thursday, describing his deputy’s affair as a “shocking error of judgment”, about which “we are all appalled”.

The following day, Mr Joyce hit back, saying Mr Turnbull’s comments had been “inept” and hurtful.

Yesterday, Mr Morrison defended Mr Turnbull’s sex ban, saying those who believed private lives should remain private were “missing the point”.

“I’m sorry, if you sleep with your staff, it’s not private any more; it’s public, because you’re a minister in a position of responsibility and power, over those who work for you,” Mr Morrison said on ABC TV.

“We owe it to them to live up to this standard and have this standard in place.”

Mr Morrison said he was disappointed Mr Turnbull’s ban on sex between ministers and staff had not received bipartisan support.

“If Bill Shorten became the prime minister, he would either have to accept the code, as it’s currently what he would inherit, or change it,” he said.

“Clearly, both he and Tanya Plibersek are saying they would get rid of it.

“So I can only assume from that, they don’t think it’s a problem — in a position of power and influence as a minister, it’s okay to sleep with your staff.

“It’s not in 2018.”

Mr Shorten refused to say whether Labor would apply the ban on ministers having sex with staff to his front bench, saying he didn’t give “instant answers on important issues”.

“This is an important issue. I get that. The conduct of ministers and indeed politicians is an important issue,” he said.

“I will consult with my colleagues, we’ll talk to the experts, but isn’t it ironic that the only thing that Mr Turnbull thinks is wrong with his ministerial code is this question about relationships between staff and ministers.

“Why doesn’t he think it’s wrong that Mr Joyce wouldn’t identify in his declaration of pecuniary interests who’s giving him free rent for six months?

“Why doesn’t Mr Turnbull talk about whether it’s right for ministers to give close friends special jobs in different ministerial offices?,” Mr Shorten said.

The Labor leader also accused the Prime Minister of “belittling” Mr Joyce and “pouring shame” on him in an unprecedented manner.

“Mr Turnbull for the last 11 days has seen his government embroiled in crisis,” Mr Shorten said.

“He doesn’t know what to do with Barnaby Joyce.

“What he’s tried to do last Thursday, is he said, ‘Oh, it’s not about Barnaby Joyce any more’, although he belittled him, he poured shame on him in a manner which I haven’t seen the Prime Minister do to his number two in Australian history.”