Beleaguered deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce has attacked prime minister Malcolm Turnbull for comments the PM made about Joyce's future in the parliament following a scandal involving Joyce's affair with a staffer.
In announcing the ban on ministers having sex with their staff, Turnbull yesterday said Joyce, the leader of the Nationals, should be considering his future.
"Barnaby has acknowledged his fault, his error, his grief about his conduct," Turnbull said. "He has to consider his own position obviously. These are matters for Barnaby Joyce to reflect on. He has made a very grave error of judgement, in an area that traditionally, I suppose, has been regarded as private and personal, and you can understand the reasons for that."
In a fiery press conference on Friday – held without the PM's knowledge – Joyce lashed Turnbull.
"Comments by the prime minister yesterday at his press conference, with regards to that, I have to say that, in many instances ... They caused further harm. I believe they were in many instances inept and most definitely in many instances unnecessary," the deputy prime minister said.
What makes this complicated is that Joyce and Turnbull aren't in the same party, just coalition partners in a conservative Liberal-National government. The leader of the Liberal Party is the prime minister, and the leader of the Nationals is the deputy.
There are agreed ministerial positions, depending on the number of Nationals elected, and other policy positions are agreed to as part of a secret arrangement between the two parties.
They hold joint and separate party room meetings, but are generally considered to be two distinct parties, except for in Queensland where the parties have joined together.
That means Turnbull cannot sack Joyce, and his leadership – and thus the deputy prime ministership – is a matter for the Nationals.
And Joyce was essentially telling Turnbull to stay in his lane.
Despite that, Joyce said he supported the new ban on ministers having sex with staff and wouldn't be resigning as deputy prime minister.
"Quite simply because that is not a decision of my colleagues and the right of the leader of the National Party is to reflect on where my colleagues are and my colleagues support me," he said.
"This was a personal issue dragged into the public arena and I don't believe people should resign in any job because of personal issues."
What. A. Week.
Barnaby Joyce says he won’t resign as deputy prime minister.
UPDATE: In a sure sign that EVERYTHING IS COMPLETELY FINE, Turnbull then responded to Joyce's comments at ANOTHER press conference on Friday.
.@TurnbullMalcolm: I want to thank @Barnaby_Joyce for his support for my change to the ministerial standards. Ther… https://t.co/9X8GLfPsXs
"I thank him for his support for the very important change I've made to the ministerial standards," Turnbull said. "I have not sought in any way to influence the deliberations of the National Party. Neither I nor my colleagues have made any criticism of the National Party.
"Expressing critical views or criticism of Barnaby's own conduct is not criticism of the National Party."
Turnbull said he had not spoken to Joyce since his press conference yesterday.
