Raj Abrar: Australia’s scandal-hit former deputy prime minister received heavy backlash yesterday for agreeing to a paid television interview about an extramarital affair, threatening further disharmony in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s government. The unusual move prompted calls from Joyce’s own party for a ban on payments for media appearances by serving politicians.
The payment, which Australian media claimed was A$150,000 ($112,950), provoked critical comments on social media and once again infuriated Turnbull, who had previously lambasted Joyce’s “shocking error of judgment over the affair with his media adviser.
“It has been very widely criticized,” Turnbull told Tasmanian radio station LAFM, speaking of the interview payment. “It is certainly not a course of action I would have encouraged him to take, I will put it that way.”
Joyce, best known for once threatening to kill US movie star Johnny Depp’s dogs over a quarantine violation, had requested the media to respect his privacy when the affair with staff member Vicki Campion was made public.
Source: Reuters