Australia PM bans sex between ministers and staff after deputy's "shocking" affair


FILE PHOTO: Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce reacts as he sits in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, October 25, 2017. AAP/Mick Tsikas/via REUTERS

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Thursday banned sex between ministers and staff and rounded on his deputy for a "shocking error of judgment" by having an affair with a press secretary.

Deputy Australian Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, a Catholic who campaigned on "family values" and married for 24 years, is expecting a child with his former staffer in April.

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