David Speers: It was the last straw for Barnaby Joyce

IN the end it wasn’t the affair. It wasn’t the jobs for the girlfriend, or the free rent from a businessman mate. It wasn’t the claims of a conflict of interest over the inland rail project or suggestions of a portfolio turf war with another cabinet minister.

IN the end it wasn’t the affair. It wasn’t the jobs for the girlfriend, or the free rent from a businessman mate. It wasn’t the claims of a conflict of interest over the inland rail project or suggestions of a portfolio turf war with another cabinet minister.

It wasn’t Prime Minister Turnbull’s extraordinary declaration he had “appalled all of us”, or a Newspoll showing nearly two-thirds of voters wanted him gone.

Barnaby Joyce was confident all that stuff would blow over.

Barnaby Joyce announces his resignation as Nations leader. Picture: Hollie Adams

He clung on despite it all, in the ­belief that only he could lead the ­National Party.

He was helped by a team of compliant colleagues ill-prepared to deal with a leadership scandal.

This was a quite remarkable display of tenacity. For 17 days the humiliating front-page headlines kept coming and still Barnaby Joyce refused to budge.

The toll this took on his family members, his new partner and on Barnaby himself, only they can know.

In the end, it was all for nothing. On Monday when Parliament resumes, Barnaby Joyce will take a seat on the backbench. Toughing it out was all for nought.

The “final straw” as he put it, was the news of a sexual harassment ­allegation being made public in this newspaper.

Vikki Campion when working as a journalist. Picture: Adam Taylor

Even he ultimately conceded he could not front up to the dispatch box with this hanging over his head. Joyce denies any wrongdoing and has vowed to fight the allegation.

It was made by a West Australian woman, and supporter of the National Party, who decided to come forward after one of Joyce’s colleagues David Littleproud urged the leader’s critics to either “put up or shut up”.

She chose to put up.

Rather than going to police, she went to the party. It’s partly why the West Australian branch of the National Party declared earlier this week they wanted Barnaby Joyce to go.

Some of Joyce’s supporters blame Nationals President Larry Anthony for leaking news of the allegation, a claim he denies.

This whole episode has left much bad blood.

Joyce and Campion in a bar together.

MPs, party officials and state branches are at war with each other, and whoever becomes the new Nationals leader will inherit a mess.

They will also inherit a Coalition relationship in tatters.

Nationals blame Liberals for meddling in their affairs, particularly the Prime Minister.

When Malcolm Turnbull stood in the Prime Ministerial courtyard to declare Barnaby Joyce had shown a “shocking error of judgment” and “appalled all of us”, he was interfering in the National Party’s affairs, despite his repeated denials every day since.

Liberals have grown equally frustrated at the National Party for wrecking the government’s start to the year. Many were dumbstruck by Joyce’s refusal to step down earlier and the junior party’s inability to deal with the situation.

It overshadowed everything else the government tried to do.

So much for putting Bill Shorten under some pressure over dual citizenship. So much for selling company tax cuts or the Trans-Pacific Partnership. So much for the resettlement of more refugees in the United States.

The Daily Telegraph’s first Joyce front page.

Many more followed.

The Barnaby Joyce saga consumed it all.

There’s no doubt Turnbull will be relieved with Joyce’s belated decision.

When Parliament resumes on Monday the questions will keep coming, both in the House and in Senate estimates hearings, where Labor will grill bureaucrats in search of any misuse of taxpayers’ money.

But at least Barnaby Joyce will be beyond the reach of Labor’s interrogation, safely parked on the backbench.

As for Joyce himself, there must surely be an element of relief. As he said yesterday from Armidale, “in April a baby will be born, I’ll have other things on my mind.”

Don’t think this will be the end of Joyce’s political career though.

Joyce will remain on the backbench, representing rural Australians. Picture: AAP

He will remain a magnet for media attention and, as long as allegations against him aren’t proven, he will remain a powerful voice for country Australia.

This could prove dangerous for Turnbull and whoever leads the Nationals, if Joyce starts to speak out on issues such as energy prices, climate change or water management.

A future return to the leadership is not out of the question.

Regardless of what happens from here, the Barnaby Joyce fiasco has changed the course of politics.

As a Labor MP put it, “a big oak tree in the Coalition forest has fallen.”

The Turnbull government has lost its best advocate among conservative voters.

Cartoonist Warren Brown’s view.

No other minister can match Barnaby Joyce’s ability to sell a tough message with plain-speaking common sense.

The new ministerial code of conduct banning sex with staff also leaves a permanent change to the culture in Parliament House and how the media will approach what have previously been private affairs.

Finally, the whole saga is another reminder that when it’s painfully obvious that a minister must resign, they probably should do so at the earliest opportunity.