Politics

Barnaby Joyce labels Malcolm Turnbull’s partners ban as ‘insane’

Apr 23, 2018

Barnaby Joyce resigned as deputy PM in February after 16 days of scandal over his affair with Vikki Campion.

Former deputy prime minster Barnaby Joyce has slammed a federal government policy that partners can’t work for MPs as “insane”.

Speaking with ABC’s National Wrap on Sunday night, Joyce said it was “insane” that someone who qualified for a job could not do it because of their relationship.

“It’s insane to think that if she [Vikki] did want to work for me, she couldn’t,” he said.

He said that allowing the partners of MPs to work in their office would help keep families together, and would not amount to a conflict of interest.

“They will make a better contribution to that office than most other people.”

Joyce resigned as deputy PM in February after 16 days of scandal over his affair with Vikki Campion, his former media adviser. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull later introduced a ban on ministers having sexual relations with their staff.

“Canberra’s a weird place,” he added.

“It’s like a big old boarding school up on a hill in the middle of Canberra… and we should be allowing partners as much as possible to be there as well. Otherwise you have this dysfunctional dichotomy where you have one life in Canberra, another life at home…[and] after a decade it just does not work and things fall apart. I don’t want that to happen again.”

Joyce made the statement after welcoming his and Campion’s baby boy, Sebastian last week at Armidale Hospital in northern NSW. While this is Campion’s first child, Joyce already has four daughters with his wife Natalie – Julia, Caroline, Odette and Bridgette.

Joyce said he is trying to be the best dad he can be to his new son Sebastian, despite the hoopla surrounding his conception.

“Look, I know that it’s peculiar circumstances and I know that people have their pluses and minuses about it but I am going to try and do the very best job I possibly can and make sure Seb has the very best Dad he can possibly get.”

The politician revealed in December that he and Natalie had separated. His relationship with his former adviser hit the headlines just a few months later, when the Daily Telegraphpublished a picture of a pregnant Campion and reported that Joyce was the father of her baby.

He issued a grovelling apology to both his wife and four daughters, and Campion herself, after days of stalling following the news.

“I’d like to say to [wife] Natalie how deeply sorry I am for all the hurt this has caused, to my girls how deeply sorry I am for all the hurt that it has caused them … [and] to Vikki Campion how deeply sorry I am that she has been dragged in to this,” he said, according to the Daily Telegraph‘s report.