'All hell broke loose': WA business woman speaks out about alleged Barnaby Joyce harassment

A WA businesswoman who alleges Barnaby Joyce sexually harassed her says the ordeal took away “the control I had over my own identity”.

Earlier this year, Catherine Marriott filed a confidential sexual harassment complaint to the National Party against Mr Joyce, who was the party leader and deputy prime minister at the time.

Within days, the complaint was leaked to the media and Mr Barnaby denied the allegations.

An eight-month investigation was launched and concluded without having reached a determination.

Tonight, Ms Marriott will speak out for the first time on ABC’s 7.30 program.

“Let’s just get straight to the point, what happened with Barnaby Joyce?” host Leigh Sales asks in a preview of the interview.

“I walked up to my hotel room, burst into tears. I then couldn’t sleep, my closest friends said you cannot tell anyone, you will be destroyed,” Ms Marriott said.

“A good friend of mine, who’s a lawyer, wrote a confidential letter to the National Party, and they leaked it.”

“And what happened?” Sales asks.

“All hell broke loose," Ms Marriott said.

Ms Marriott said she hopes her experience will improve the way political parties deal with sexual harassment allegations.