Barnaby Joyce says his future as Nationals leader is a ‘decision for the party room’

Barnaby Joyce has revealed his immediate plans post-election as the Nationals leader ponders his political future.

Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce hasn’t ruled out stepping down as Nationals leader following the Coalition’s election defeat.

Mr Joyce was comprehensively re-elected as the member for New England on Saturday night but the Coalition’s ousting from government means he will no longer be second-in-command to the prime minister.

Mr Joyce on Sunday morning said his future as the leader of the junior Coalition partner would be a decision for the Nationals party room to make.

“I’m always, with those things, I’m just going to wait and give the party room that privilege of not sort of (having it) ventilated publicly. It’s incredibly important,” Mr Joyce told reporters in Tamworth after being pressed on his plans.

“We’ve got people at this point in time, we don’t know whether they have been elected or not. And I’m not going to start … campaigning or doing anything like that I’ll let things settle.”

And if he did give up the Nationals leadership, Mr Joyce said, it would mean spending “a lot more time in bed”.

“I’m looking forward to that,” he said.

Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, pre polling in Echuca for The Nationals candidate, Sam Birrell. Picture: Supplied via the deputy prime minister’s office.

Mr Joyce served as the deputy prime minister of Australia from 2016 to 2018 and resumed the position in 2021 after securing the numbers to topple his successor, Riverina MP Michael McCormack.

Mr Joyce made his political comeback three years after he lost the Nationals leadership following revelations about his affair with a former staffer and an unrelated sexual harassment allegation, which he strenuously denied.

He proved a divisive figure in this year’s election campaign as the “teal” independents capitalised on his scepticism about net zero emissions to sway traditional Liberal voters, by reminding them their local MPs voted with the Nationals on climate change.

Mr Joyce on Sunday sought to downplay his part in the Liberals losing five inner city seats to independent candidates.

“I’m in the Nationals. And the Liberals fight Liberals’ battles and the Nationals fight the Nationals’ ones. And the Nationals, we held every seat, in fact, our party room is bigger,” he said.

Mr Joyce, pictured on the campaign trail in Alice Springs, says his future as Nationals leader will be up to the party room. Picture: Lee Robinson

Mr Joyce suggested people who voted for independents would have to reflect on whether the Coalition would become more conservative after the loss of more moderate Liberals.

“It’s rather surprising where the moderate side of the party has basically been put to the side by people who said that they’re moderates.”

Asked if the Coalition’s historic defeat was Scott Morrison’s “fault”, Mr Joyce said: “There’s no point going through recriminations”.

Scott Morrison conceded defeat on Saturday night as the Coalition failed to win over Australians for a fourth consecutive time. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images

The Nationals have maintained their status quo following the election, with the party expected to retain its seats in NSW, Queensland and Victoria.

Asked about the future of the Coalition and whether there needed to be a greater distinction between the Liberal and Nationals parties, Mr Joyce said: “I’ll leave that for the discussions for my party room as well”.

“Now that now we have to go from being a good government — and I believe we were a good government, and especially to regional Australia — into being a good opposition,” he said.

“But I hope (Labor) doesn’t put regional Australia projects to the sword. We have fought because we need to make Australia a fair place. We need to have an expanse of investment across our nation.”