Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I want to make very clear that I make no judgement, nor any comment whatsoever, about Mr Joyce's personal life. I make no judgement about him as a husband nor as a father. What we are asserting is that, in his professional capacity as a minister, Mr Joyce has failed to adhere to the standards that one expects of a minister. The foreword to the statement of ministerial standards makes this crystal clear. It declares that 'ministers must act in a manner consistent with high standards of integrity and propriety'. It also says that 'ministers shall conduct themselves in a manner that will ensure public confidence in them and in the government'. I think even Mr Joyce's most loyal supporters could not, and would not, reasonably assert that he has acted in a manner consistent with the highest standards of integrity and probity and conducted himself in a manner that will ensure public confidence either in himself or in the government.

The revelations this morning that Mr Joyce sought, and was subsequently offered, rent-free, an apartment from a prominent local business man is evidence of this. The statement of standards states:

Ministers … must not seek or encourage any form of gift in their personal capacity.

Mr Joyce's claim today that he did not seek the apartment has been directly contradicted by two journalists, who spoke directly to the owner of the apartment. And, even if we were to accept Mr Joyce's version of events, what is not in dispute is that he continues to benefit from the gift to this day. One is reminded of the $40,000 gift from Ms Gina Rinehart.

Secondly, it has been confirmed in this chamber this week that the former staffer that Mr Joyce has now made clear he is in a relationship with was subsequently employed, with the involvement of Mr Joyce's office, by two other senior members of the National Party. Again, I make no comment on the fact of the relationship. What I refer to is the Statement of Ministerial Standards, which is very clear on these facts:

Ministers' close relatives and partners are not to be appointed to positions in their ministerial or electorate offices, and must not be employed in the offices of other members of the executive government without the Prime Minister's express approval.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Mr Turnbull try to use a legalistic argument to evade culpability by arguing over the time at which Mr Joyce's former staffer came to be officially regarded as a partner. Can I say this: these are legalistic arguments which ignore the central issue, which is the principle that the standards uphold. There are sound reasons as to why these standards exist and why the safeguards, prohibitions and guidelines in them exist. The principle that is sought to be upheld here is one of the avoidance of conflict of interest. It is so the public can be assured that there is no conflict of interest in the appointment of persons to taxpayer-funded positions. And, frankly, it is also to ensure that those close to us are not exposed to unwanted public scrutiny that such suggestion of partiality would attract, and we have, I think, seen that this week.

Most importantly, these actions do not pass the Prime Minister's own test:

Ministers … must act in a manner that is consistent with the highest standards of integrity and propriety … and … conduct themselves in a manner that will ensure public confidence in them and in the government.

The sad reality is—and I wish the National Party could see this—Mr Joyce's position is untenable. It is unthinkable at this time that he can act in any ministerial office, as is demonstrated by the fact that the government itself cannot appoint him to be the Acting Prime Minister. Mr Joyce has failed to live up to the standards that Australians rightly expect of ministers. It is right that the Senate today expresses its view that Mr Joyce must resign, and he should resign today.