Australian Prime Minister (PM) Malcolm Turnbull is changing the Ministerial Code of Conduct to ban ministers from having sexual relations with staffers amid intensifying pressure surrounding his deputy Barnaby Joyce over his affair.
Turnbull made the announcement at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra this afternoon, Feb. 15, where he reflected on Joyce’s affair with former staff member Vikki Campion, calling it “a shocking error of judgment.”
He said that the Deputy PM’s conduct had “set off a world of woe” for his estranged wife, four daughters, and Campion while “appall[ing] all of us.”
Turnbull said the Ministerial Code of Conduct was in need of another amendment as it was “truly deficient” and “does not speak strongly enough to values that we all should live” — which he said were “values of respect in workplaces, the values of integrity that Australian’s expect us to have.”
The Prime Minister subsequently added the following to the code:
Turnbull said the purpose of amending the code was to make the standards “a very clear and unequivocal provision.”
“Ministers, regardless of whether they are married or single, must not engage in sexual relations with their staff. Doing so will constitute a breach of the standards,” Turnbull said.
“While this new standard is very specific, ministers should be acutely aware of the context in which I am making this change and the need for them always to behave in their personal relations with others and especially their staff, the staff of other ministers or members of the Australian public service, with integrity and respect,” he added.
Turnbull confirmed that his deputy will be taking a week off starting from next Monday.