Barnaby Joyce resigns as Nationals Party leader after affair with former staffer Vikki Campion
PETA Credlin has weighed into Barnaby Joyce’s resignation as more details reportedly emerged about how Malcolm Turnbull found out he was going to resign while in the US.
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PETA Credlin has weighed into Barnaby Joyce’s resignation as more details reportedly emerged about how Malcolm Turnbull found out he was going to resign while in the US.
Ms Credlin, who was former prime minister Tony Abbott’s chief of staff, said on Sky News that she was aware the Prime Minister’s office had been holding meetings for months about “how to handle the Barnaby affair”.
She claimed “no one had the guts” to manage the story and get in front of it. She also said she did not buy Mr Turnbull’s claims he did not know about the affair.
“Malcolm Turnbull has lost the one bloke who always defended him,” she said.
“By wounding their once strong ally they’ve wounded themselves.”
She also said that keeping the affair quiet was “just as stupid as it gets”.
The Prime Minister was having evening drinks in Washington DC when he found out about Mr Joyce’s decision to quit.
Fairfax Media reports that he was shown a mobile phone with the news from Canberra, two hours before he did his press conference in Armidale. He did not call Mr Turnbull.
The news comes as Mr Joyce resigned from his role as leader of the National Party in the wake of his affair scandal with a former staffer.
The Deputy Prime Minister said he will stay on as the member for New England on the back bench.
Mr Joyce told reporters he would announce at a partyroom meeting in Canberra on Monday morning at 8am AEDT that he would step down as the leader of the National Party and Deputy Prime Minister of Australia.
A leadership ballot will then be called.
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Mr Joyce said a “circuit-breaker” was needed to stop the fallout of his affair for his partner, Vikki Campion, for his unborn son, his four daughters, and estranged wife Natalie.
“This has got to stop. It’s not fair on them,” he said.
“I won’t snipe. I have a lot of things I need to do.
“I want to assist my colleagues where I can to keep their seats and also, quite naturally, in April, a baby will be born.
“I’ll have other things on my mind.”
He has informed Acting Prime Minister Mathias Cormann and National Party colleagues of his decision.
Mr Joyce took a swipe at the media and any fellow MPs who had leaked against him during the past two weeks.
“Over the last half a month, there has been a litany, litany of allegations,” he said.
“I don’t believe any of them have been sustained.
“Might I say right here, any person in any political party always says, the leaking, the backgrounding, all that, it will destroy not only our government, it will destroy any government.”
Mr Joyce said he considered rural and regional Australians, the people in the “weatherboard and iron”, when deciding to step down. He thanked his constituents for their support.
Malcolm Turnbull thanked Mr Joyce for his service as Deputy Prime Minister in a statement after he announced his resignation.
The Prime Minister, who is currently in the United States on a four-day trip to Washington, said Mr Joyce had been a fierce advocate for rural and regional Australians.
JOYCE’S DEPUTY WON’T BACK A CANDIDATE
Acting Nationals Leader Bridget McKenzie has declined to back a candidate ahead of next week’s party room to determine the new leader of the party.
Senator McKenzie, who is currently deputy leader of the party, paid tribute to outgoing leader Barnaby Joyce, saying he had made the right decision to step down.
“There’s been no fiercer advocate for rural and regional Australia than Barnaby Joyce in his period of time,” he said.
“Obviously that focus and energy and drive and dedication has taken it’s toll and today we saw him stand down as the leader of our party...
“I wish him all the very, very best to him and his family and I know that he’s looking forward to spending a lot more time at home as a result of the decision he’s taken today.”
Senator McKenzie said a party room meeting would be held at 8am on Monday in Canberra to discuss the leadership following Mr Joyce’s decision to step down.
She said she would not back a candidate and that she would not be making a tilt for the leadership as well.
“I’m not going to run a running commentary on Monday’s meeting,” she said.
“I think I’ve been pretty clear that as acting leader, it would be a really bad look if I started picking winners.”
TURNBULL REACTS TO JOYCE RESIGNATION
After a week of tensions between Nationals and Liberal MPs in the wake of his public criticism of Mr Joyce over his handling of the affair last week, Mr Turnbull said: “The Coalition between the Liberals and the Nationals is Australia’s most successful political partnership, having endured for more than 95 years.”
“This partnership is undiminished and will continue to deliver opportunity and security for all Australians.”
The Prime Minister announced MP John McVeigh would act as Infrastructure and Transport. pending the Nationals’ election of a new leader and subsequent ministerial changes.
Mr Joyce took to social media after his announcement to declare he would continue to fight for regional Australia.
“I will continue to fight for the people in the weatherboard and iron, for the people on the peripheral and the small regional towns,” he wrote on Twitter.
On Monday morning I will step down as the Leader of @The_Nationals and Deputy Prime Minister of Australia. I would like to thank everyone for offering their support to me, especially the people of New England.
— Barnaby Joyce (@Barnaby_Joyce) February 23, 2018
I will continue to fight for the people in the weatherboard and iron, for the people on the peripheral and the small regional towns. I used my experience of these towns and my goal in life will always be to try to make their lives better.
— Barnaby Joyce (@Barnaby_Joyce) February 23, 2018
“I used my experience of these towns and my goal in life will always be to try to make their lives better.”
Mr Joyce had repeatedly refused to step down as party leader despite the damage the fallout from his affair with Vikki Campion has done to the government over the past two weeks.
He dug in last week in the face of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull calling his conduct “appalling” while announcing a new ban on ministers having sex with their staff.
LABOR WANTS TO SEE COALITION AGREEMENT
Bill Shorten wants Malcolm Turnbull to publicly release the next Coalition agreement between the Liberals and the Nationals and ensure it includes the power to sack the deputy prime minister.
Mr Turnbull was unable to fire Barnaby Joyce as deputy prime minister despite a damaging scandal because only Nationals MPs could choose to replace their boss.
“The government’s first priority here must be to make sure we never see a situation where the prime minister is emasculated to the point he can have no say in the deputy prime minister,” Mr Shorten told reporters in Melbourne on Friday.
The next Nationals leader will need to exchange letters with the prime minister committing to a new coalition agreement.
NATS CAN’T BACK BARNABY ANY LONGER
Today’s press conference comes as Mr Joyce rejected a formal sexual harassment complaint lodged against him by a West Australian woman as “spurious” and “defamatory”.
A second Nationals MP, Andrew Gee, also publicly said he cannot back Mr Joyce as party leader.
He released a statement today saying: “Until I have clarification regarding some of the issues about Barnaby, I won’t be able to back him.”
The Member for Calare added he was also not in a position to back any challenger at this stage.
“Our electorate comes first, and nobody has contacted me to tell me they’re challenging, what they’d do for the Calare electorate or how our key projects would be progressed,” he said.
“As things stand, all bets are off, I’m backing the electorate and not anyone else, and we’ll just have to see what next week brings.”
BARNABY’S DEPUTY: HE’S MADE MISTAKES
Deputy Nationals leader Bridget McKenzie has issued a statement praising Mr Joyce, saying he made the right decision.
“There is no stronger advocate for regional Australia,” Senator McKenzie said.
“He has always lead from the front and his colleagues and our party membership always knew who he was fighting for in Canberra,” she said.
“His decision to stand aside is the right decision for the National Party, the nation and most importantly his family.”
Cabinet Minister and senior National senator Matt Canavan, one of Mr Joyce’s closest allies, issued a statement soon after his resignation saying Mr Joyce had made mistakes but would “recover, learn and be a better person from them”.
“It is true that I consider Barnaby a mate,” Senator Canavan said.
“None of my mates are perfect, nor am I. Barnaby has made mistakes but I am sure he will recover, learn and be a better person from them.
“He now has a new partner and a new child to care for and that is much more important than any of his achievements in public life.”
He praised Mr Joyce’s accomplishments as Nationals leader, saying he had “more courage than most” and “helped pull the Nationals back from the grave”.
“I am sure Barnaby will continue that fight, as will the Nationals party,” he said.
“Now more than ever there is a need for a party to fight for those who produce the wealth that maintains our prosperity and builds our future.”
Senator Canavan also sent a message of support to Mr Joyce’s family.
“I also express my regret about the impact this has had on Natalie and Barnaby’s four daughters,” he said.
“They are a beautiful family. Nat is a remarkable woman of strength, character and good cheer. All of their girls are bright, vivacious and full of life. I am sure they will thrive beyond these difficult times.”
WHO WILL REPLACE HIM?
Veterans Affairs Minister Michael McCormack has been tipped to replace him as leader.
Other possible contenders are Assistant Families Minister David Gillespie or Victorian MP Darren Chester. Mr Gillespie has thorwn his hat in the ring for the leadership today.
Deputy Nationals leader Bridget McKenzie will not replace Mr Joyce as she sits in the Senate, not the House of Representatives.
Similarly, senior National and one of Mr Joyce’s key allies, Matt Canavan will also not take over as he sits in the Senate.
Key ally and newly appointed Agriculture Minister David Littleproud is also unlikely to be picked as a newcomer to Parliament who was only elected in 2016.
Nationals MP Andrew Broad was the first party member to call for Mr Joyce to resign yesterday.
Mr Joyce has also faced mounting pressure from the West Australian Nationals MPs to step aside as his affair continued to make local and world headlines.
Mr Turnbull also declined to publicly support Mr Joyce when questioned by media outside the White House today.
TURNBULL WON’T BACK JOYCE IN US
Mr Turnbull attempted to direct questions at the first press conference on his four-day Washington DC trip to an upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump and tax reform.
But questions kept returning to his deputy prime minister and coalition partner, who has left his wife and is now living with a former staffer who’s pregnant with his fifth child.
“Can we deal with the issues here (in DC) and then we can take a couple of questions about Australian domestic matters,” Mr Turnbull requested when asked how he could govern with a clear message if Mr Joyce remained on the front bench.
Mr Turnbull declined to publicly give outright support Mr Joyce, who faces rising calls from his own MPs to quit as leader.
“The leadership of the National Party is a matter for the National Party,” he said.
Originally published as Barnaby Joyce resigns as Nationals Party leader after affair with former staffer Vikki Campion