Barnaby Joyce confronts photographer in altercation outside Armidale church

BARNABY Joyce has posted footage of an altercation with a photographer who accused the former deputy PM of threatening to punch him.

BARNABY Joyce has taken to Twitter to post extraordinary footage of an altercation between him and a photographer, who accused the former deputy PM of threatening to punch him.

The incident took place in Armidale this morning as Mr Joyce was leaving church, The Australian reports.

Mr Joyce posted a video of the confrontation with a tweet reading: “Coming out of church, guess who is hiding in the bushes taking photos, yet won’t give his name or who he works for.”

The photographer has since been identified as Guy Finlay from Matrix Picture Agency. The Australian reported the company was considering filing a police report against Mr Joyce.

The photographer accused Barnaby Joyce of intimidation.

In the footage, Mr Joyce, who has copped a backlash over his decision to accept $150,000 from the Seven Network for a television interview with his partner Vikki Campion, asks the photographer why he is following him.

“Well it’s our job,” the photographer said.

“Who do you work for?” Mr Joyce asked.

We did the Sunday program to stop this, this is why we need a tort of privacy. pic.twitter.com/hLQReDOQta

— Barnaby Joyce (@Barnaby_Joyce) June 10, 2018

The photographer then accused Mr Joyce of threatening to punch him.

“How can you seriously come out of church and size someone up to punch them,” the photographer said.

The former deputy PM has copped a backlash over his controversial Seven interview.

“I didn’t size you up to punch you,” Mr Joyce said.

“Yes you did. You pulled your right hand back and if I hadn’t actually walked away you would have clubbed me,” the photographer said, before telling Mr Joyce to “Go back to your regular job as a bouncer. Seriously.”

The former Nationals leader, who worked as a bouncer in his university days, repeatedly asked the photographer for his name.

In a second video, Mr Joyce follows the photographer, demanding that he give him his name.

A local also confronts the photographer, accusing him of hiding behind a tree “like a snake”.