The Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has handed his foes a club with which to beat this, or any future, Coalition government to death.
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That weapon is the ill-conceived Ministerial sex ban that spells out that any intimate encounters between Cabinet members and their staff are a breach of the Ministerial Code of Conduct.
Mr Turnbull, who introduced the ban in response to the crisis engulfing his government as a result of the Barnaby Joyce affair, seems to have given no thought to the consequences of what appears to have been an Abbott-style "Captain's pick" decision.
His belated attempt to display something akin to strength and leadership has opened a can of worms that threatens to dominate the political discourse for months.
As a result, any hint of a sexual liaison involving a Coalition Minister and one of their staffers is legitimate front page news.
We are facing a future in which, as one commentator was quick to point out, there will be a "caterwauling free-for-all" with an open season on affairs, transgressions and breakups and telephoto lenses waiting for the unwary.
As the code only applies to Mr Turnbull's government, ALP members and future ministers likely have nothing to worry about.
How long will it be before the revelations start coming? The House on the Hill has been home to a culture of rumours, gossip and innuendo.
While Mr Turnbull may have been justified in his criticism of Mr Joyce's error of personal judgement, his own errors of political judgement in his handling of the events of the past few weeks are almost on a par.
The Nationals resent outside interference in their affairs, and are almost united in thinking Mr Turnbull was out of line.
It appeared the PM’s clumsy intervention had, prior to Friday’s allegations of further misconduct by Mr Joyce, rallied the Nationals behind their former leader.
However, now that Mr Joyce has stepped down, the door is seemingly open for Riverina MP Michael McCormack, a man who also brings some baggage with him, to take the leadership of the party when they convene at 8am on Monday.
Whichever way they go, the Nats need to start from scratch and make sure that whoever they select is a suitable leader.
Because, as we’ve seen in recent times, nothing is sacred in politics anymore.