Tony Abbott's former chief of staff has slammed the apparently lax vetting of ministerial staff as the Turnbull government comes under fire over a series of jobs for the now-pregnant partner of Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce.
Peta Credlin also revealed Mr Joyce asked her to run his office after his long-time chief of staff, Di Hallam, quit amidst rumours of his affair with staffer Vikki Campion.
Ms Credlin instead took up a media career with Sky News.
"When I was chief of staff to the then opposition leader and prime minister, I was accused often of being too tough for running vetting checks on the appointment of ministerial staff in offices," Ms Credlin said on her nightly program.
It was a proper committee process chaired by a cabinet minister while the chief of staff to then-Nationals leader Warren Truss "ran the ruler over every staffing proposal that came from the Nationals".
"That system was not fool-proof, but I tell you what, it's far better than what the fools are running now," Ms Credlin said.
Mr Joyce has denied breaching the ministerial code of conduct, which says frontbenchers cannot employ close relatives or partners or get them work in other ministerial offices, "without the prime minister's express approval".
He argues Ms Campion was not his partner when she worked in his and Matt Canavan's offices.
Damian Drum was not a minister when she transferred to his office.
Ms Credlin also slammed Mr Joyce's handling of the whole matter, saying if she had taken his job offer, "I would not let him get away with letting this issue drip on and on and on to the point where it now is".
