Is Barnaby’s baby a matter of ‘public interest’ or just of interest to the public?
Should public figures expect public lives? Does social media make the whole debate irrelevant anyway? In this crossposting from The Conversation, The University of Canberra’s Michelle Grattan looks at the issue of public interest in the wake of Barnaby Joyce’s affair.
A few decades ago, then deputy prime minister Jim Cairns’ affair with staffer Junie Morosi rocked an already embattled Whitlam government.
Debate occurred about the reporting of that relationship – which Cairns at the time refused to admit was sexual – but the case for airing was pretty clear given Morosi’s role. She was a political player, through her enormous influence on her boss.
This story was doing the whisper rounds in Canberra mid December. Someone in the establishment went to great lengths and now owes Rupert Murdoch and others decades worth of favours to have kept it out of the street press until now.
As for Barnaby or any other politician, I don’t think anyone cares or wants to know who he’s jumping.
Comment edited according to Mumbrella’s moderation policies
Can’t help to think though if it was Bob Hawke we probably wouldn’t have looked sideways.
Nearly fell off my chair, Michelle Grattan writing for Mumbrella! Then I noticed you just purchased a syndicated piece.
This whole news story is just…ugh. Its messy. It sucks for the ex wife and daughters and now it sucks for the new girlfriend because its gone public but really? Do we care so much that we need to drill into every detail? It’s not illegal to have an affair and relationships are complicated. There is no allegation of abuse and he’s doing an OK job. Not outstanding but OK. So why is this news again?
The canberra press gallery colluded with the government to to keep this secret during the marriage survey and the by-election.
theshovel.com.au had it right today…we deserve a National Sick Day after being forced to think about Barnaby having sex
A politician for Tamworth who recently won a landslide through promoting conservative Christian values has left his wife of four children.
A politician for Tamworth who has recently as November abstained from voting on ‘equality’ amendments to the Australian marriage act has entered into a relationship with a former employee 17 years his junior.
All politicians while having the power to decide the fate of millions of Australians have come out in defence of the politician for Tamworths privacy as it benefits them politically.
The politician for Tamworth now has diminished power, Labor now have the edge as long as he stays in Gov. Malcolm, likewise loves a Poodle and Team Tony just took a beating [twice in one weekend]
It’s not often I agree with Julie Bishop, but I have to agree that “Government has no business interfering in people’s personal lives”.
But I wonder if Julie Bishop would agree that “personal lives have no business interfering with Government”, as appears to be the case.
Well they certainly didn’t feel private lives should be private in Julia Gillard’s case. I can’t help but wonder how many more knives would be out if it was a female deputy leader having the affair with a staffer…
Could not agree more.
Bravo Double standard.
Not a single mention of the fact that the government then created two 6 figure salary jobs for this woman! That’s the real story!
It will be interesting when the investigative journo’s also come back with data, surrounding how many hours he spent in Canberra (taxpayers expense), due to his mistress(?) living in Canberra and what work he was doing vs being in his electorate…