The woman who has accused Barnaby Joyce of sexual harassment says she wants him to be held to account.
Mr Joyce, who’s been on personal leave this week with his new partner Vikki Campion, will officially quit as Nationals leader on Monday and go to the backbench.
The scandal surrounding Mr Joyce has dominated headlines for more than two weeks after it emerged the deputy prime minister was in a relationship with his former staffer Ms Campion, who is expecting his baby.
The Mamamia Out Loud team discuss Barnaby Joyce’s affair and how the media has responded. Post continues after audio.
But it was a 2011 sexual harassment allegation published on Friday that pushed him to resign, with Mr Joyce describing the accusation, which he denies, as the “straw that broke the camel’s back”.
Mr Joyce’s accuser, former West Australian Rural Woman of the Year Catherine Marriott, released a statement on Saturday saying she never intended the issue to become public.
Ms Marriott wrote a formal letter of complaint to the federal executive of the party on February 20.
“I requested that a formal and confidential investigation into this incident be undertaken by the National party to ensure there is accountability in relation to the incident I raise, and to prevent this type of inappropriate behaviour towards women in the future,” Ms Marriott said in her statement.
“This complaint was not made solely to address the incident against me – it is about speaking up against inappropriate behaviour by people in powerful positions.”