Just as well Barnaby Joyce is not an American congressman and other news and views

House Unanimously Passes Bills To Change Response To Sexual Harassment On Capitol Hill - NPR
Also today in Congress, the House voted to change the way sexual harassment complaints are handled on Capitol Hill. Two bipartisan pieces of legislation passed with unanimous support. One of the biggest changes is that House members are now banned from having sexual relationships with their employees. The action is the product of an internal review ordered by House Speaker Paul Ryan in light of the #MeToo movement. 
Sex ban proposal 'absolutely appropriate': Di Natale - Sky News
Independent MP Cathy McGowan has proposed possibly tabling a motion to Parliament that would see a ban put on sex between politicians and their staffers. The proposal comes after Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce's high profile affair with a staff member was revealed. Greens Senator Richard Di Natale told Sky News that discussions around such legislation are 'absolutely appropriate' considering the big power imbalance that exists between a Member of Parliament and their staffers.
How Vikki Campion came to work for Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce - news.com.au
BARNABY Joyce’s relationship with a former staffer was a well-known secret. And guests at one lunch were left in no doubt about it. 
Our say: How The Leader tried to get answers on Barnaby Joyce affair - Northern Daily Leader

Merit-based staffing is under threat, but public service chiefs seem uninterested - Paddy Gourley in The Canberra Times
Public servants must 'call out what is wrong' ... unless the wrongdoing is unlawful recruitment?
Twenty-First Century Fox tops profit estimates as cable shines - Reuters
Rupert Murdoch’s Twenty-First Century Fox Inc trounced Wall Street estimates for quarterly profit and revenue on Wednesday, helped by increases in the fees it collects from cable and satellite distributors. 
Murdochs Defend $3 Billion ‘Thursday Night Football’ Price Tag - Bloomberg
The Fox network will get unparalleled promotional power by airing NFL games two days a week, Rupert Murdoch’s sons said Thursday, providing a rationale for a deal that’s been panned by investors.
The way the world catches fish defies all economic logic - Quartz
Out of 139 countries evaluated, 64 generated profits from their fisheries, even after accounting for subsidies. But the fisheries of 75 countries aren’t actually generating wealth.
Donald Trump and the Decline of US Soft Power - Project Syndicate
How a government behaves at home, in international institutions, and in foreign policy can affect others by the influence of its example. In all of these areas, Trump has reversed attractive American policies.
Tim Harford’s guide to statistics in a misleading age - Financial Times
Dubious numbers and false claims fill our daily lives. Here’s how to decipher the barrage of statistical propaganda

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