Barnaby Joyce hits out at digital giants in response to daughter’s affair rumours

Barnaby Joyce has responded to rumours one of his daughters was the reason a prominent NSW politician stepped down from his role.

Barnaby Joyce has called for a major crackdown on social media companies following the spread of “fictitious and rubbish rumours” about an alleged relationship between his daughter and John Barilaro.

The Deputy Prime Minister on Thursday labelled the rumours, which have been circulating online since Mr Barilaro’s resignation as NSW deputy premier, as “utter rubbish”.

Mr Joyce said he had been approached by local media to comment on the story.

“It's just completely and utterly fictitious and rubbish,” he told ABC Radio National.

Barnaby Joyce says the rumours are ‘utter rubbish’. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“Basically, people saying that she had been in a relationship with John Barilaro and that’s why he left, which is just total and utter rubbish.

“When you have local media outlets actually approaching you for comment on this and you say ‘what is your source?’ and they say ‘Facebook’ or ‘the source is Twitter’ and you say ‘well, it’s no good that these platforms just say sorry it’s too hard to control’.

“Well, it’s not too hard for you to collect your billions of dollars from it.”

Mr Joyce did not specify which of his four daughters was the subject of the allegation.

Mr Barilaro on Sunday resigned from political life, telling reporters it was something he was thinking about for some time.

“Ten and a half years is a long time in politics,” Mr Barilaro said.

“I turn 50 in November … maybe a midlife crisis. But I‘m thinking about what’s next and I’ll take time out. But I genuinely won’t be running for office.”

After teasing his resignation for some time, John Barilaro announced he would step away from political life on Sunday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

In the wake of the accusation, Mr Joyce said it was “absolutely essential” the government come down harder on the digital giants.

The deputy prime minister said he was taking a keen interest in the US Congressional hearing into Facebook.

“I think that we now have companies that make billions of dollars and people who profess to be multiple billionaires, but they don‘t own responsibility for what’s happening on their platforms,” he said.

“I think, yes. And from my own personal experience of recent times, you have got to get to a point where you say enough is enough.”

But host Patricia Karvelas pressed back, referencing the rumours that circulated that Mr Joyce had an affair with his then-staffer, now partner, Vicki Campion while he was married.

The pair now have two sons.

“I‘m a public figure and I get what I get and I cop what I cop,” Mr Joyce said.

“But I've always drawn the line for people who are not public figures and what happens to them.

“It's not just my daughter. This is an issue if you go to any school and talk to any parent, this is one of their greatest fears, the destruction of their children by innuendo, by slur, on a macro level, and on a micro level.”

Originally published as Barnaby Joyce hits out at digital giants in response to daughter’s affair rumours