The male privilege in Australia’s parliament has given its members such a sense of exceptionalism, they think the standards of the corporate office should not apply to their workplace.
Former ministers Christopher Pyne and Julie Bishop are among many who have accepted jobs post-office in breach of ministerial code of conduct - but they will face a senate inquiry.
Malcolm Turnbull handled the Barnaby Joyce affair badly and his ban on ministers having sex with members of their staff is risible, according to ‘soft voters’ in focus groups.
Barnaby Joyce, supposedly on ‘leave’, is out in the media as part of his fightback against those who would like him out of the deputy prime ministership.
Media reporting of the Barnaby Joyce affair would have been so much better if journalists had established substantial public-interest justifications before breaking the story.
Barry O'Sullivan has declared that Barnaby Joyce remains a big asset to the Nationals despite the sharp grassroots reaction to his affair with his former staffer.
When the DfID minister held secret meetings with government officials while on holiday, she seems to have forgotten about her quest to stamp out dodgy dealings in development spending.