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Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has denied accusations he abused a female staff member inside Parliament House ahead of an investigation into the incident.
Joyce allegedly launched a verbal tirade against a Nationals staffer on Wednesday while he attempted to log a leave request to attend a funeral on Thursday.
Shortly before Question Time, it is understood that the former deputy prime minister went into MP Michelle Landry’s office to fill out the necessary paperwork.
The New England MP allegedly raised his voice at a female Nationals staffer, cursing and entering her physical space, according to a Sky News report.
Joyce, who recently quit the National Party but intends to serve out his term, contests the allegations.
“I refute the claims and uphold the PWSS process currently underway,” he expressed in a statement to SBS News.
The incident has been formally lodged with the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service (PWSS).
Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie said it was “inappropriate” for her to comment on the alleged incident.
“There’s been a lot of changes in my time here,” she said.
“I started in 2011, and it is an incredibly different workplace than when I arrived, and so PWSS has been stood up for those reasons.”
The PWSS mandates that every MP and senator must interact with staff members with “dignity, courtesy, fairness, and respect.”
Breaches of conduct are referred to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission (IPSC), an arm of the PWSS, which has the power to impose sanctions against parliamentarians.
These include a written reprimand, a decision to undertake training or a behaviour agreement with the IPSC.
Lawmakers who are found to have seriously violated this code face the possibility of suspension or a fine that could be a portion of their salary.
Joyce’s future with the Nationals uncertain
Earlier this month, Joyce said he was leaving the Nationals, announcing he would not stand for his lower house seat at the next election.
Joyce, who was demoted from the party’s front bench by leader David Littleproud earlier this year, cited fractured relationships with party leadership.
There is speculation that he may join One Nation on a Senate ticket, an option he has not ruled out.
While he remains part of the National Party, he refuses to attend party room briefings.
