Barnaby Joyce says he’s no fool and that even his critics have realised he is a good politician

THIS is Barnaby Joyce uncut. While he has a ‘warm’ relationship with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, he stopped short of calling them mates.

Barnaby Joyce for Lani story. Picture Gary Ramage

LOOKING at Barnaby Joyce swinging on the two back legs of his chair like a bored schoolboy as I sit to interview him for this piece, it’s easy to think you’re in the wrong office.

There are Akubras placed on the shelf behind him, a wooden wombat looking over a stack of official briefs and a pair of framed fluoro green budgie smugglers.

This is the office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

And this weekend the office of the Acting Prime Minister.

The man in charge of the country; even if just for 36-hours.

Barnaby Thomas Gerard Joyce, 49, is not your typical politician.

He’s controversial, outspoken and often gives the appearance that he doesn’t quite know what he’s doing.

The red-faced, bulky, awkward, erratic guy from Danglemah — a tiny blip on the map 40-minutes northeast of Tamworth in rural northern NSW — has been called crazy, a “sweaty, big-gutted man” by actor Johnny Depp and a bumbling buffoon.

Barnaby Joyce says he is nobody’s fool. Picture Gary Ramage

“He’s like the mad old uncle,” a political adversary described him in the lead up to this interview.

Today (Saturday) marks one year since Joyce took over The Nationals leadership from party stalwart Warren Truss and was thrust into the Deputy Prime Minister role.

But Joyce says he’ll always just be a “Jesuit-educated hillbilly” from the bush.

So who really is the crazy guy who is now our Deputy PM and this weekend’s Prime Minister?

Joyce says he loves it when people misjudge him because it means they aren't focused on what he’s really trying to achieve.

“I’m not saying I’m a supporter or otherwise but people said Trump wasn’t up to the job and he was,” Joyce said.

“I’ll let you think I’m a fool because then I am going to work you out.

“No one gets ahead in life by being a dopey.”

Barnaby Joyce enjoyed his battle with Johnny Depp. Picture: Twitter

Joyce, a father of four girls who left his home town in 1998 because his parents didn’t approve of wife Natalie, entered politics as a Senator for Queensland in 2004.

In 2013 he left his St George home and “risked it all” to run against incumbent veteran independent Tony Windsor in the lower house NSW seat of New England.

“He pulled out at the last minute but he had a margin of 23 per cent and I won.”

Joyce said under his tutelage, the National Party now had the biggest number of cabinet ministers since Arthur Fadden was Prime Minister in 1941.

He said even those who used to loathe him are starting to come around to his way of doing things.

“The Australian people to be quite frank have become more accustomed to my form of politics and my approach,” Joyce said.

In his year in the job as Deputy Prime Minister, Nationals Leader and Agriculture and Water Resources Minister, Joyce says he’s achieved loads.

But there are still controversial issues like the moving of key government departments such as the Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicine Authority from Canberra to Armadale, the white spot prawn outbreak which he is accused of not dealing with promptly enough and huge issues around water buybacks for the Murray in South Australia and coal seam gas exploration in NSW.

But with the growing discontent with politicians and the growth of fringe parties like One Nation and Nick Xenophon’s Team could the Nationals be a dying breed?

“The only reason we are in government is because we (the Nationals) are here,” Joyce said.

As for Pauline Hanson, Joyce says he respects her as a politician but that her promises could not be believed.

“I’ve got no problems with her personally,” he said.

Barnaby Joyce with Malcolm Turnbull. Picture: AAP

But he urged that before votes were cast in favour of One Nation, or preference deals were cut to place the party above the Nationals as is the case in WA, people needed to ask themselves if they could see One Nation genuinely running the country.

“I could vent on so many issues every day and it would be marvellous, except when people say deliver on it because that is a little bit more complicated when you’ve got to pay for something and actually legislate policy.”

Joyce, who growing up said former Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen was his role model, says he can see the similarities between them.

“The smart people, even the business people got it. That ‘whoever this man is he is no fool’.

“I guess I am adopting his same style in some areas.”

Joyce says he’s not interested in having the spotlight on him and would never want to be Prime Minister. In fact he says it is a fait accompli that a modern day Nationals MP will never be in the nation’s top job.

“If you want to be Prime Minister, join the Liberal Party,” he said.

As for the current Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Joyce says the pair has a “warm” relationship but stopped short of calling them mates.

“I wouldn’t say we are mates, but we genuinely get on well,” he said.

“I want him to be Prime Minister and stay Prime Minister.”

Joyce says the pair share a similar sense of humour.

“I’ll pass him notes that will say ‘why on earth did you ask for that person to give a brief update — this thing is going for hours’ and he’ll have a chuckle.”

“Or I’ll say ‘I’m going to the toilet, see you next week’.”

And he says the relationship is strong enough that he can show up to the PM’s Point Piper mansion in Sydney “sweating like a pig” after a run only to discover Lucy Turnbull is the only one at home and have a cup of tea with her instead.

Joyce says although Turnbull doesn’t always resonate with people in the bush, between them they make a good team.

“We’ve got the numbers to run the country. Malcolm is respected and we each have key constituencies that we speak to.”

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