Share on Twitter Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has lashed out at “defamatory and spurious” comments made by a West Australian Labor MP who used parliamentary privilege to accuse him of having a history of groping women. Jackie Jarvis used a speech in state parliament in the early hours of Friday morning to support her friend Catherine Marriott, who in 2018 accused Mr Joyce of sexual harassment. Mr Joyce denied the allegations at the time and a subsequent internal Nationals party investigation did not make a finding into the matter. WA Labor MP Jackie Jarvis Facebook Mr Joyce on Friday night responded to the comments, saying he invited Ms Jarvis to repeat them “without the cover of parliamentary privilege”.