In Australia, a major rift opened up in the fragile ruling coalition as Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce refused to quit over an affair with a staff member and criticised Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, saying his remarks were inept and unnecessary.
Prime Minister Turnbull, whose coalition holds a majority of just one seat, yesterday said that Deputy Prime Minister, Joyce, had shown a shocking error of judgment for conducting the affair with his former press secretary.
Turnbull said he will change the ministerial conduct rules, new standards broadly similar to a ban on relationships between lawmakers and staffers adopted last week by US Congress. The comments of Prime Minister is seen as a call for the National Party leader to resign from cabinet, but Joyce today said he had the support of his colleagues to continue. The Senate yesterday passed a motion for Joyce to resign over the affair, saying he had breached standards of behaviour expected of a minister.
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