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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/feb/15/turnbulls-sex-ban-has-thrown-petrol-on-a-political-bonfire
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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Turnbull's sex ban has thrown petrol on a political bonfire | Turnbull's sex ban has thrown petrol on a political bonfire |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| In responding to Barnaby Joyce’s affair by prohibiting relations between ministers and staffers, the PM has abruptly altered the rules of engagement | In responding to Barnaby Joyce’s affair by prohibiting relations between ministers and staffers, the PM has abruptly altered the rules of engagement |
| Contact author | Contact author |
| Thu 15 Feb 2018 09.30 GMT | Thu 15 Feb 2018 09.30 GMT |
| Last modified on Thu 15 Feb 2018 15.41 GMT | |
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| Malcolm Turnbull has done something far more profound than decreeing no sex between ministers and their staff, and throwing Australia’s besieged deputy prime minister under the bus – although both of these things actually happened in clear public view. | Malcolm Turnbull has done something far more profound than decreeing no sex between ministers and their staff, and throwing Australia’s besieged deputy prime minister under the bus – although both of these things actually happened in clear public view. |
| The prime minister, with one late afternoon statement in his courtyard, has created a yardstick that has not previously existed in Australia’s “live and let live”, “she’ll be right mate” politics. | The prime minister, with one late afternoon statement in his courtyard, has created a yardstick that has not previously existed in Australia’s “live and let live”, “she’ll be right mate” politics. |
| Turnbull has made it OK to make visceral judgments about our elected representatives, at least the occupants of the executive, on moral or “character” grounds. | Turnbull has made it OK to make visceral judgments about our elected representatives, at least the occupants of the executive, on moral or “character” grounds. |
| When you stand up as a public figure, the prime minister no less, and excoriate your colleague for failing the character test of authority and public leadership – which is precisely what Turnbull did to Barnaby Joyce on Thursday afternoon – then moral judgments of political figures become sanctioned activity. | When you stand up as a public figure, the prime minister no less, and excoriate your colleague for failing the character test of authority and public leadership – which is precisely what Turnbull did to Barnaby Joyce on Thursday afternoon – then moral judgments of political figures become sanctioned activity. |
| We did have an implicit debate in this country about the morality or character of a political figure when Australia’s first female prime minister, Julia Gillard, occupied the Lodge – one led by Tony Abbott, who was prone to sharing passive aggressive asides about Gillard’s intrinsic unfitness, including but not limited to inviting her semi-regularly to make “an honest woman” of herself. | We did have an implicit debate in this country about the morality or character of a political figure when Australia’s first female prime minister, Julia Gillard, occupied the Lodge – one led by Tony Abbott, who was prone to sharing passive aggressive asides about Gillard’s intrinsic unfitness, including but not limited to inviting her semi-regularly to make “an honest woman” of herself. |
| But now, courtesy of Turnbull’s abrupt altering of the rules of engagement for Australian public life, we are going to have an explicit one. | But now, courtesy of Turnbull’s abrupt altering of the rules of engagement for Australian public life, we are going to have an explicit one. |
| Unless ministers abide by the terms that the prime minister has just laid out, we are going to have a caterwauling free-for-all. Open season on political office affairs, on transgressions, on uncouplings – conscious or otherwise. Telephoto lenses trained on private moments and tabloid reckonings. Because character is now a legitimate question. | Unless ministers abide by the terms that the prime minister has just laid out, we are going to have a caterwauling free-for-all. Open season on political office affairs, on transgressions, on uncouplings – conscious or otherwise. Telephoto lenses trained on private moments and tabloid reckonings. Because character is now a legitimate question. |
| Why? Because the prime minister said so. The prime minister has sanctioned federal parliament’s sex round. | Why? Because the prime minister said so. The prime minister has sanctioned federal parliament’s sex round. |
| Turnbull is to be applauded for taking on gender, and calling out the structural power imbalances in testosterone-fuelled bro-zones like professional politics, and for having the desire to drag Canberra’s crass, smug and self-satisfied “one rule for us club” into some kind of equivalence with workplace standards that exist elsewhere, correctly, in the age of #MeToo. | Turnbull is to be applauded for taking on gender, and calling out the structural power imbalances in testosterone-fuelled bro-zones like professional politics, and for having the desire to drag Canberra’s crass, smug and self-satisfied “one rule for us club” into some kind of equivalence with workplace standards that exist elsewhere, correctly, in the age of #MeToo. |
| God knows women have been waiting long enough for that kind of signal. It’s about time it was sent, in clarion terms, and by a political leader, given the American president says it is OK for powerful men to grab women by the pussy. How could any feminist think otherwise? | God knows women have been waiting long enough for that kind of signal. It’s about time it was sent, in clarion terms, and by a political leader, given the American president says it is OK for powerful men to grab women by the pussy. How could any feminist think otherwise? |
| But it’s a signal that will bring with it a whole lot of noise. | But it’s a signal that will bring with it a whole lot of noise. |
| It’s a consequential redrawing of the boundaries, sitting in judgment of other people’s relationships, which sometimes look a whole lot different to the people inside them than they do to people sitting outside; and henceforth, Turnbull won’t be the only person making the judgments. | It’s a consequential redrawing of the boundaries, sitting in judgment of other people’s relationships, which sometimes look a whole lot different to the people inside them than they do to people sitting outside; and henceforth, Turnbull won’t be the only person making the judgments. |
| The bottom line is you can start this conversation, but you can’t control where it goes. | The bottom line is you can start this conversation, but you can’t control where it goes. |
| Also somewhat out of control is the relationship between the two men who run the country. | Also somewhat out of control is the relationship between the two men who run the country. |
| I can’t see how the relationship between Joyce and Turnbull survives the acid reflections the prime minister made on Thursday afternoon. | I can’t see how the relationship between Joyce and Turnbull survives the acid reflections the prime minister made on Thursday afternoon. |
| I can’t see how you can stand up and accuse your deputy of manifestly failing the character test, of being deficient, then go calmly back about the business of governing in a coalition. | I can’t see how you can stand up and accuse your deputy of manifestly failing the character test, of being deficient, then go calmly back about the business of governing in a coalition. |
| This is a profound rupture. | This is a profound rupture. |
| Turnbull has as good as said he wants Joyce to resign, not on an abstract public interest technicality, but on a question of fitness. | Turnbull has as good as said he wants Joyce to resign, not on an abstract public interest technicality, but on a question of fitness. |
| This isn’t just meddling in the affairs of the National party, it is publicly dictating terms in a manner I haven’t seen before in 20 years in this building. | This isn’t just meddling in the affairs of the National party, it is publicly dictating terms in a manner I haven’t seen before in 20 years in this building. |
| Turnbull has thrown petrol on a bonfire. It will be fascinating to see how Joyce and his colleagues respond. | Turnbull has thrown petrol on a bonfire. It will be fascinating to see how Joyce and his colleagues respond. |
| Australian politics | Australian politics |
| Barnaby Joyce | Barnaby Joyce |
| Malcolm Turnbull | Malcolm Turnbull |
| Coalition | Coalition |
| Liberal party | Liberal party |
| National party | National party |
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