A red hot story started rolling off the printing presses in western Sydney, setting off a ticking time bomb for the Morrison government and scandal-prone Nationals.

Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size When bundles of New Idea were dropped outside newsagents before dawn, they arrived with an ominous thud that Andrew Broad's lawyers had been working frantically for weeks to prevent. Legal threats had been flying between the Nationals MP and the gossip magazine over plans to print a red hot story: Broad, a married conservative who regularly espouses family values, had met a woman who used the online alias "Sweet Sophia Rose" and wined and dined her during a work trip to Hong Kong in September. As dishes such as the $76 pan-fried scallops with violet potato, cream of leeks and wild mushrooms were served to guests at nearby tables, Broad regaled the younger woman with tales of a recent promotion to Prime Minister Scott Morrison's outer ministry and even referred to himself as James Bond. In earlier text messages, the regional Victorian MP wrote he knew "how to ride a horse, fly a plane and f--- my woman". In another, he said he wanted to run his hands down her back, softly kiss her neck and whisper "G'day mate". Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Pacific Magazines, publisher of New Idea, had been talking to the woman since November and it is understood she was not paid for the story. Despite the legal risks, New Idea editors contacted Broad early last week to say they were ready to publish. The story started rolling off the printing presses in western Sydney on Thursday night last week, setting off a ticking time bomb for the Morrison government. Within hours of the edition going on sale on Monday, a disgraced Broad quit his assistant minister role and the Coalition ended the political year in much the same way it started: weighed down by sex and sleaze.


Just eight months earlier, Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce resigned as deputy prime minister after having an affair with his staffer, who became pregnant, and finding himself the subject of a sexual harassment allegation. Joyce thrashed around for weeks trying to save his job but the damage was so severe he had no choice but to quit. The lurid bookends to 2018 have tarnished the government's standing with female voters and raised big questions about the future of the Nationals, which wields enormous influence over its Liberal Party partners. The Broad revelations have also turbo-charged rumours inside Parliament House about other MPs. One is the subject of a particularly severe set of allegations which have not been proven. Labor heard about the claims months ago and referred them to the Australian Federal Police. While no evidence of criminality was uncovered, AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin still saw fit to brief Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Martin Parkinson about the issue. Andrew Broad entered Parliament in 2013 but his regional Victorian seat is now up for grabs following his fall from grace. Credit:Rebecca Hallas Andrew Broad joined the Nationals after an earlier stint as the president of the Victorian Farmers Federation. Credit:Jason South The Nationals' federal vice-president Katrina Hodgkinson says voters are entitled to demand a standard of behaviour from MPs over and above that of the general public. "That is the expectation. Because you're such a public figure and everything is reportable, you can't do something in Washington or New York and not expect it to be reported back in Sydney and Melbourne," the former NSW MP says.


"You've just got to be on your best behaviour at all times. Obviously people make mistakes and when you make mistakes there will be forgiveness and understanding. But if there is an intentional abuse of power or exceedingly poor judgment, then that is going to weigh heavily on the minds of the electorate." Nationals leader Michael McCormack's handling of the Broad crisis has firmed the odds for a leadership challenge after next year's election, with Joyce, Agriculture Minister David Littleproud and the Nationals' deputy leader, Bridget McKenzie, the likely contenders. McKenzie could quit the Senate to run for Broad's seat, paving the way for a tilt at the leadership. In a sign of the threat the Broad scandal presented, MPs made a flurry of calls on Wednesday to discuss their exasperation with McCormack, who did not tell the Prime Minister about the impending crisis despite hearing loud alarm bells for weeks. Initially publicly claiming he only discovered the incident "a couple of weeks ago", McCormack actually knew as early as November that Broad had landed in trouble in Hong Kong. Fearing a possible blackmail attempt, he urged the Victorian MP to contact the AFP. Despite the possibility a government minister could be blackmailed in China, McCormack did not tell Morrison. McCormack also knew that New Idea had the story, but still didn't alert the Prime Minister. Deputy Nationals leader Bridget McKenzie is weighing up her options. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen McCormack dismisses the criticism, saying he's doing the best job he can in trying circumstances. He adds it is time for some Coalition MPs who were working against the interest of the government to consider leaving politics. "Surely they can see what's going to happen if they keep this up. Maybe some of them haven't been in the cold, desolate days of opposition." Labor powerbroker Graham Richardson, a supporter of Morrison, this week agreed the Prime Minister's attempts to make the government competitive against a united, disciplined Labor were being sabotaged by stupidity from within.


"I feel for Andrew's family, I really feel deeply for them. It's all very sad but it's just so disruptive to Scott Morrison and his campaign. I mean here's poor old Scott, who wouldn't do the wrong thing in a fit, and yet every time he's got something and it all looks good, it's wiped completely by one idiot." "And that's what I think we've all got to understand - the capacity of one idiot to derail the show. Sadly, if you look at the few months Scott Morrison has been our Prime Minister, he has had so many difficulties." Loading For Broad, the killer blow was not the dating antics or partial use of taxpayer funds to get to Hong Kong, but the very public exposure of his hypocrisy. An opponent of same-sex marriage, Broad once compared gay men to rams having sex in paddocks, and threatened to quit the government should it abandon a plebiscite on gay marriage in favour of a free vote. During a speech to Parliament during last year's equality debate, Broad promised to support the reform given his electorate had backed it in the postal survey. "I do not cast judgment upon same-sex couples who are currently raising children," he said. "I'm sure your love is deep and enduring, and I wish nothing but the best for you. But I believe there is an essential truth that cannot be replicated without the influence of both a man and a woman in a child's development."


Offering his view on the role of a father raising a daughter, Broad continued: "Between the ages of 14 and 18, the role of a dad is to take her on a date, open the door for her, teach her how a guy should treat her - with respect - and be a guard from guys who might come knocking, while ensuring that their intentions are pure." Broad's hopes for good intentions were in stark contrast to a text message New Idea claims he sent to the woman he met in Hong Kong: "My intentions are completely dishonourable." Government MPs fear the Broad story has not ended and more damaging information could come out over summer, given just a fraction of the messages he exchanged with "Sweet Sophia Rose" have been published. Barnaby Joyce's affair triggered a breakdown between the then deputy prime minister and the then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Richardson has seen his share of sex scandals over four decades in politics and says the same basic mistakes are always repeated. "Why is it that politicians cannot learn that emails and texts are items that don't go away? You can press the delete button but it never helps because someone at the end of the line's got it. So if you're going to be stupid why can't you pick up the phone and be stupid? At least then ... it can be quiet stupidity in private. "Broad's made a complete goose of himself with this - he's not the first one and he probably won't be the last." Broad will not recontest his regional Victorian seat of Mallee at the next election and the Nationals are scrambling to find a female candidate to minimise the local fallout.

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