Mallee MP Andrew Broad has defended Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull attacked the National Party leader’s conduct and judgement.
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“Barnaby has never said at any point that he’s a saint,” Mr Broad said.
Speaking on ABC radio, Mr Broad said the National Party would not be pushed into making a decision by Mr Turnbull over their leadership positions in the wake of Mr Joyce’s extramarital affair with a former staff member.
Mr Broad agreed with assertions that Mr Joyce had made “many mistakes” this week in handling the revelations about his personal life and that the scandal had “destroyed” the government’s attempts to communicate its policies.
Mr Broad said it was a “fair assessment” that he would reconsider his support for Mr Joyce if it could be shown that he abused his position or misused taxpayer funds.
On Thursday afternoon, Mr Turnbull used a televised press conference to accuse Mr Joyce of a “shocking error of judgement”.
“(Mr Joyce) knows that he let down his wife and daughters and he has apologised for that and to them,” Mr Turnbull said.
“He is taking leave next week and I have encouraged him to take that leave. I think that he needs that leave.”
“He needs that time to reflect. He needs that time to seek forgiveness and understanding from his wife and girls.”
Mr Turnbull also announced changes to ministerial standards that would ban any sexual relationship between a minister and a staff member, whether the minister was married or single.
On Friday morning, Mr Broad told ABC Melbourne that he had not withdrawn his support for Mr Joyce simply for failing in his marriage.
“Relationships break down in the general community and the parliament is a reflection of the general community,” Mr Broad said.
Mr Broad criticised Mr Turnbull’s comments about Mr Joyce, saying “you conduct yourself decently, you don’t run down your colleague in the media” and said the ban on ministers having staff relationships “tarnished” hard-working people.
“It sends a message to the Australian people that the parliament is somehow an incestual (sic) orgy and it just isn’t,” he said.
Mr Broad did appear to place conditions on his support, saying that it had yet to be proven that Mr Joyce had abused taxpayer funds during a relationship with former media adviser Vikki Campion.
“If there has been an abuse of power, which so far hasn’t been proved, or there’s been a misuse of taxpayer funds, that is quite a different matter.”
When asked by host John Faine if he still supported Mr Joyce as leader, Mr Board said “I guess the answer is yes”.
“If this is a witch hunt because a person has strayed from their wife because they have fallen in love with someone else, whilst that’s very, very sad for those involved and a very, very hurtful time, I don’t want to be in a situation where the parliament is so pious compared to the general population,” he said.
“I think many people will forgive imperfections, but what they will expect is there have to be clear lines of delineation when it comes to use of taxpayers’ funds.
“The nationals are not going to be pushed by the media or Malcolm Turnbull, we are going to look at it in a sensible, considered way.”
Mr Joyce himself hit back on late Friday morning with his own televised remarks, vowing not to resign of his own accord and labeling Mr Turnbull’s comments as “inept” and “unnecessary”.
“I have to say that because I listened to it and I thought that was completely unnecessary and all that is going to do is basically pull the scab off to everybody to have a look at.”
Labor opposition leader Bill Shorten Mr Turnbull and Mr Joyce were "at war with each other” and either man was fit for high office at the top of government.