Anthony Albanese reveals no drinking rule in his office after Barnaby Joyce declares he has given up alcohol for lent

The Prime Minister has spoken out after The Nationals were embroiled again in an incident involving one of their politicians drinking.

Anthony Albanese has urged politicians to use their “common sense” when drinking at parliamentary events, pointing to a no-booze rule inside his own office after two senior members of another party were caught in back-to-back alcohol related incidents.

The Prime Minister spoke to reporters on Monday, one day after Nationals deputy leader Perin Davey admitted to drinking two glasses of wine at a staff function before she was heard slurring her words at a budget estimates hearing last week.

This came shortly after footage emerged showing Nationals backbencher Barnaby Joyce lying on a public footpath.

Mr Albanese, who has waved off suggestions calling for a total alcohol ban inside of the building, said leaders had a responsibility to “act in a way shows respect” for voters in their electorates.

“There’s no alcohol in my office. Tim Gartrell put that in place a long time ago, as my chief of staff,” he said.

“So, there are events in Parliament House, and bit of common sense should apply. People are adults and they should behave responsibly, like any adult should.”

NSW Senator and Nationals deputy leader Perin Davey slurred her speech during a budget estimates hearing. Picture: Supplied

Mr Albanese’s comments came after Barnaby Joyce announced he has given up drinking for a religious holiday after he was filmed lying on a public street, which he said was a result of mixing alcohol with prescription medication.

The former deputy prime minister, who has denied having a problem with alcohol, refused to comment on Ms Davey’s

“I have given up two things for Lent, one is drinking, and the other one is talking about other people in regards to that,” Mr Joyce told Sunrise on Monday. “I will let other people deal with the issues that are personal to them. I won’t be adding commentary to it.”

Ms Davey was filmed stumbling over her words while speaking at a Senate environment and communications legislation committee hearing on February 13. The NSW Senator has denied being intoxicated but said she consumed two glasses of wine at a staff drinks beforehand.

Nationals leader David Littleproud defended Ms Davey’s actions and said he “wholeheartedly” supported the MP’s assurances that she was not drunk.

“We’re not without faults in the National Party,” he told Sky.

“We all slur our words from time to time and I think this is a bit of an overreach.”

Barnaby Joyce was filmed laying on a Canberra footpath talking on his phone. Picture: Daily Mail Australia

The incident, which emerged just one week after Mr Joyce was filmed sprawled drunk on a Canberra footpath after a long parliamentary sitting day, has sparked growing calls to reconsider an alcohol ban in parliament.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton said individuals should take responsibility for their actions and that he thought a lot of people would learn a lesson from the scandals.

“People can have a drink in moderation. You can catch up with friends, you can attend social functions and that happens in workplaces and across society every day. But you need to take responsibility, particularly if you’re in the public eye,” he told Sunrise.

When earlier asked about the alcohol-related controversies plaguing his party, Mr Joyce remained tight lipped but said he thought the issue had been blown out of proportion for political reasons.

“Sometimes I do get a sense of ‘let’s exploit this issue politically for all the purpose we can get,” he said.
“That is an issue for the parties to decide. I will let them have that discussion.”

Mr Joyce has denied having an issue with alcohol. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Teals MP Zali Steggall last week urged the prime minister to introduce random drug and alcohol testing into parliament, citing an “apparent issue” with a culture of alcohol consumption in Canberra.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said she did not think that an alcohol ban would deter parliamentarians from drinking at work.

The senior Labor figure knocked back calls to roll out breath testing for federal MPs, arguing there was “real problem” if the public could not trust their elected officials to resist drinking in their workplace.

“I think the first thing to say is people shouldn’t be drunk at work. I think adults need to think very hard about their consumption of alcohol in the workplace - I don’t really see any cause for it at all,” she said.

“The truth is most parliamentarians don’t drink at work, what you see is a few high-profile cases that I suppose give the impression that we are all out there [on the drink] every night. It’s simply not the case.”