Western Australian Nationals withdraw support for Barnaby Joyce

AN entire Nationals branch has withdrawn support for the embattled party leader. Barnaby Joyce didn’t take it lying down.

BELEAGUERED Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has fired up after the National Party in Western Australia effectively told him to resign.

In a statement released yesterday afternoon, Mia Davies, the leader of the Nationals in WA said she had contacted Mr Joyce to tell him he was causing “ongoing damage” to the party and his position as Federal Leader was “no longer tenable”.

Nationals WA leader Mia Davies said Mr Joyce was causing “ongoing damage” to the party.

“Mr Joyce’s actions have caused pain for his family but it is the ongoing damage he is causing The Nationals organisation that is of greatest concern to me as WA Leader,” Ms Davies said.

“The Nationals brand across Western Australia has suffered as a result of Mr Joyce’s actions and he has become a distraction at both a Federal and State level.

“My parliamentary colleagues and I have urged Mr Joyce to consider his position as leader in the best interests of the federal party and state branches.”

WA nationals withdraw support for @Barnaby_Joyce pic.twitter.com/Muuqi26aZ5

— Samantha Maiden (@samanthamaiden) February 20, 2018

“It is the view of the Parliamentary National Party of Western Australia that Mr Joyce’s position as a Federal Leader is no longer tenable.”

However Mr Joyce didn’t take the criticism lying down and questioned the WA branch’s commitment to the federal party.

Mr Joyce shot back in a statement to Sky News, pointing out WA didn’t have any federal MPs and the eastern states, which had more “skin in the game”, supported him.

“Thank you Mia for your correspondence,” he said. “I acknowledge your concerns, however it should also be said that you don’t have a Federal member of Parliament in the National Party of Australia, your last member spending time almost exclusively as an independent and only once or twice coming to the National Party room meetings.

“I also note, you are not in a Coalition in Western Australia and the WA Nats pride themselves on their ferocious independence.

“Therefore I find it surprising that a federal issue has so much momentum in the West when people in the east in the National Party have in the majority a different view — and to be quite frank, vastly more skin in the game.”

Ms Davies refused to answer questions over the rift during a press conference yesterday and only said the statement was “self-explanatory,” the ABC reported.

Mr Joyce and Vikki Campion are expecting their first child together.

Mr Joyce has admitted to an affair with former staffer Vikki Campion with whom he is expecting a child. He has split with his wife Natalie, the mother of his four daughters.

The revelations saw Mr Joyce apologise to his wife Natalie, daughters and Ms Campion, but refuse to stand down over the saga.

Mrs Joyce previously told the Daily Telegraph of the “hurt” she suffered at learning about the affair and pregnancy.

However she has reportedly said she wants her husband to keep his job, despite the pain his affair has caused the family.

Mr Joyce also remained bullish telling Fairfax he intended to hang on.

“I’ve been in heaps of fights in my political life, this is another one, in any person’s political career you aren’t created by the times in your favour, you’re tempered by the times of adversity,” he said.

“I am humbled by the support in my electorate and in the community. People are starting to see this as a witch hunt. I’m not going anywhere, I never would.”

But having an entire state arm withdraw its support is undoubtedly bad news for Mr Joyce. However, the WA Nationals are a separate organisation to the rest of the National Party and have, at times, defied the larger party.

Speaking to Sky News on Tuesday, Nationals MP Matt Canavan said support for Barnaby Joyce within the party was “pretty 50/50”.