Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, a rural conservative who has presented himself as a devoted husband and father of four, resigned on Friday, citing a sexual harassment claim that emerged in the Australian press on Thursday. Joyce was already facing a sex scandal from recent revelations that he had impregnated his former press secretary after an extramarital affair; the woman is reported to be 33, which would have made her 9 when Joyce got married. That scandal prompted Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to instate a ban on government ministers having sex with their personal staff, and while the so-dubbed "bonk ban" has majority approval, The Washington Post notes, it opens a new chapter in Australian politicians' presumption of privacy.
"That's just not who we are in Australia," Joyce said upon announcing his resignation. "Don't go after private individuals. It's just wrong." That may be the Australian way, it isn't how things are done in the U.S. or Britain. So for more more information about Joyce's affair, watch this overview from Sunday's Last Week Tonight, where John Oliver not only explains Joyce's previous claim to fame but also introduces the very Australian father of Joyce's paramour. Peter Weber
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
News organizations reject Pentagon restrictionsSpeed Read The proposed policy is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s latest move to limit press access at the Pentagon
-
Trump declares end to Gaza war, ‘dawn’ of new MideastSpeed Read Hamas freed the final 20 living Israeli hostages and Israel released thousands of Palestinian detainees
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
