Your noon Briefing

Welcome to your noon roundup. The Nats cancel a partyroom showdown while Cory Bernardi says more ministers are sleeping with staffers.

Hello readers. Here is your noon digest of what’s making news and a long read for lunchtime.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture Gary Ramage

Showdown off

Nationals MPs have postponed a party room meeting that was scheduled for next Monday, ensuring the Barnaby Joyce saga carries into a third week. The Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals leader is currently on leave as he considers his future in the wake of revelations that a former staffer Vikki Campion is having his baby in April. Nationals whip Michelle Landry said this morning because Senate estimates hearings are being held next week, there won’t be the usual Monday meeting of all 21 members and senators. Cory Bernardi claims Barnaby Joyce is not the only government minister sleeping with their staff, but has refused to name names. Peter Van Onselen, meantime, says Barnaby Joyce isn’t the first political leader to be caught with his pants down, but voters won’t cop lies, hypocrisy or sanctimony. John Oliver takes brutal aim at Barnaby Joyce’s “incredible family values’’ in the wake of his affair.

“I don’t think Barnaby Joyce is Robinson Crusoe at this stage.”

Cory Bernardi

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Police Press conference with Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton and African community leaders regarding the African gang crime across Melbourne. Picture: Alex Coppel

Taskforce ‘tribes’

A taskforce of African community leaders set up to help Victoria Police deal with Melbourne’s youth crime problem is yet to choose its members because of tribal divisions, according to the chief commissioner. The African-Australian Community Taskforce was announced by Victoria Police last month following a spate of crimes involving African youth. Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton today said that although the taskforce had met a few times, it was yet to finalise its membership due to “internal political issues”. He agreed there was concern growing within Victoria Police that tribal divisions between Dinka and Nuer ethnic groups had caused delays in formally establishing the taskforce.

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Oakey creek mine Glencore Australia. Picture: Supplied.

Boom times

The world’s biggest mining companies are again poised to shower investors with billions of dollars and make deals, a turnaround fuelled by the global economy’s renewed appetite for raw materials and by the burgeoning electric-vehicle market. Four of the world’s top publicly listed miners — BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Glencore and Anglo American — have rebounded after plummeting prices for commodities several years ago led them to cut costs, slash dividends and dump assets. Collectively, these companies’ market values have increased by $US200 billion in two years. Rio Tinto said this month that its yearly net profit almost doubled to $US8.76 billion, as the British-Australian miner increased dividends and announced a new $1 billion share buyback.

“I don’t think anyone is going to have any cause for complaint.”

Rio Tinto chief financial officer Chris Lynch

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France's Gabriella Papadakis and France's Guillaume Cizeron compete in the ice dance short dance of the figure skating event during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung on February 19, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / ARIS MESSINIS

Wardrobe malfunction

The designer of the dress worn by French ice skater Gabriella Papadakis in the Winter Olympics says she feels “terribly guilty” after an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction caused the outfit to slip. Papadakis, who with Guillaume Cizeron is among the favourites for gold in the ice dance event, said she had suffered her “worst nightmare” after Cizeron inadvertently unclipped the back of her green costume during their short dance routine. Her halter-top slipped sideways to briefly expose her left breast, but the French pair showed remarkable composure to skate on and finish the first day of competition in the silver medal position behind Canada’s Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. Follow all the day’s action in our live Winter Olympics blog.

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Dominic Perrottet at Parliament house Encouraging all of NSW to get down to Glenorie Bakery and buy a pie. $1 dollar from each and every pie sold will go directly to the children's hospital.

The long read: The Liberal peacemakers

Andrew Clennell delves into how the NSW party’s left and right factions thrashed out a compromise after decades mired in a bitter internecine war characterised by branch stacking, dirty tricks and a level of hatred between left and right that reaches Labor Party proportions.

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Comment of the day

“Malcolm’s Lucy-driven outburst of morality pushed him into a corner and the Nats can’t be seen to be pushed around by finger-wagging Libs, so my money is on him staying right where he is.”

Deirdre, in response to ‘Barnaby Joyce affair: Wife Natalie wants Nats leader to keep his job’.