Vikki Campion blasts leaked text message as ‘betrayal’

Vikki Campion has blasted the leak of private text messages about her fiance Barnaby Joyce as “a betrayal”.

Vikki Campion has declared the leak of private text messages about her fiance Barnaby Joyce “a betrayal” of another woman who was just trying to help.

The Deputy Prime Minister’s fiancee came out swinging in a column published by the Sunday Telegraph today, stating the “woman whose messages were leaked has now become collateral damage”.

The Nationals leader has spent the weekend trying to clean up the mess sparked by his text message declaring the Prime Minister was a “hypocrite and a liar” who could “rearrange the truth to a lie”.

Vikki Campion and Barnaby Joyce celebrate their engagement. Picture: Michael Hull.

But now his fiancee has weighed in with the backstory to what really happened revealing that Mr Joyce was texting a mutual friend and asked her to “tell BH” a reference to Brittany Higgins.

The texts were passed on by another woman who was trying to get the Nationals MP’s help on Brittany Higgins’ behalf.

Ms Campion wrote, “It was a message from a woman, another victim, that was leaked to journalists by someone she trusted, indeed someone she was trying to help, to change a situation she didn’t want anyone else to go through,’’ she wrote in the Sunday Telegraph.

“She was acting from her heart, not in any paid capacity or lobbying role, a rare thing in those halls, and now she has been twisted in knots as since 9pm last night her messages have graced the front of every major national paper”.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has come under fire after messages were leaked. Picture Gaye Gerard / NCA Newswire.

Ms Campion described the leak as a “betrayal”.

On Friday the text message from Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce was published by multiple media outlets, describing Scott Morrison as “a liar”.

Mr Joyce “unreservedly apologised” to the Prime Minister just hours before the story broke.

The leaked text came after Channel 10’s political editor Peter van Onselen ambushed the Prime Minister with questions about a separate set of leaked texts between an unnamed minister and former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian at the National Press Club on Tuesday.

Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews said the leaked message was not Barnaby Joyce’s “finest hour”. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

The texts from Ms Berejiklian reportedly described the Prime Minister as a “horrible, horrible person”.

Mr van Onselen read the texts aloud during the nationally televised speech.

“The Minister is even more scathing, describing you as a ‘fraud’ and ’a complete psycho’.

“Does this exchange surprise you? And what do you think that it tells us?”

Mr Morrison responded, “I don’t know who you’re referring to or the basis of what you’ve put to me,” he said.

“But I obviously don’t agree with it and I don’t think that is my record.”

In a statement, Ms Berejiklian said she had “no recollection” of the messages and reiterated her support for Mr Morrison.

Private messages between Mr Morrison and French President Emmanuel Macron were also leaked last year.

Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews spoke to David Speers about the latest leak on Insiders today, and revealed she had not spoken to Mr Joyce about the text calling Mr Morrison a “liar”.

She said it wasn’t Mr Joyce’s “finest hour by a long stretch”.

“He apologised, the Prime Minister accepted that apology. He offered to resign, the Prime Minister declined that offer, and they’ve indicated that they will work together,” she said.

Mr Morrison said today at a press conference that he was continuing to work closely with Mr Joyce.

“His observations of me and that relationship has completely transformed his view that he had as a backbencher at a time when his head was in a very different place,” he said.

“I’m sure if anyone went out there and checked what everybody has ever said about them, including all of us here, you will find people who will say not the most pleasant things about you. No one is immune to that,” he added.