Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has warned the media not to take it upon themselves to police the Turnbull government’s new sex ban, saying it is a matter of personal responsibility for ministers to abide by their expanded code of conduct.

And she suggested the ban should be read in the context of the wider purpose of the code, to prevent conflicts of interest, misuse of public money or undue influence.

“It’s certainly not open season for the media,” Julie Bishop said in London, after a business breakfast at the Commonwealth Bank’s London headquarters.

Asked how the code of conduct should be policed, Bishop replied: “At the end of the day it comes down to personal responsibility of the ministers and our code of conduct already sets high standards and it’s the responsibility of each minister to meet the standards set out in the code of conduct.”