Barnaby Joyce and Vikki Campion reveal fund investigation in extended Channel 7 interview

In an extended interview, Barnaby Joyce says he and Vikki Campion were both investigated over their use of taxpayer funds.

Former deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce says he has faced questions from the Parliamentary Expenses Authority over his use of taxpayer funds in his relationship with a former staffer.

Mr Joyce, who gave a paid, tell-all interview on Seven’s Sunday Night program last night, flatly denied any wrongdoing and said none has been found despite many questions.

“I have had like 160 inquiries and at this point not one — not one has come up saying ‘this is a problem’,” he said in the interview, in comments that did not air last night.

Ms Campion’s expenses are also being investigated, the extended interview revealed.

“They have actually found that they owe me money,” Ms Campion said.

It was reported high-paid roles were created for Ms Campion during the relationship, however the 32-year-old responded by saying she was paid less in Mr Joyce’s and Nationals Senator Matt Canavan’s offices than she was in her previous job with the NSW government.

She said she also took a big pay cut when she moved to work with then-Nationals whip Damian Drum. “My wage actually dropped significantly,” she said.

After details of the affair and Mr Joyce and Ms Campion’s baby, named Sebastian Joyce, surfaced, there were allegations of sexual harassment that ultimately saw the 51-year-old step down as deputy Prime Minister in February.

.@Barnaby_Joyce says he's not worried about the political consequences of a paid interview on Seven's @sundaynighton7. @Riley7News #auspol #7News pic.twitter.com/WPhI1my92U

— 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) June 4, 2018

“This is garbage,” Mr Joyce said last night, responding to the claims. “And the purpose of this I believe was the blow me out of my job.”

For weeks, Mr Joyce and his former staffer were in the spotlight as details of their relationship slowly came to light. In the interview, the pair responded to criticism they read on social media.

“I’m a ‘rent-a-root’,” Ms Campion said.

The interview revealed “people within the parliament” attempted to pressure Ms Campion into having an abortion to save her career and that of the former deputy prime minister.

“They came to me, they said, ‘uh, you’re pregnant and you have to get an abortion’, and I said, ‘it’s too late, it has a heartbeat’, and they said, ‘if you don’t, they’re going to come after you’,” Ms Campion said.

Mr Joyce said: “And they did.”

Barnaby Joyce with his son in Parliament House. Credit: Channel 7

She also revealed that she ­earlier purchased medication to terminate the pregnancy.

“I agonised,” she said. “I bought the medicine online. You can’t do it in the ACT. I drove ­interstate. I walked in. And then I walked out again.”

Mr Joyce said the people who pressured Ms Campion were “the absolute scum of the earth you involve yourself with” in the “mad boarding house” of parliament.

Today, the Prime Minister and Nationals leader Michael McCormack rejected the notion.

“I am not aware of anybody doing that, I can absolutely give you that assurance,” Mr Turnbull said.

Mr McCormack said: “If there was a conversation made, then that was a conversation made between the alleged person who said it and Barnaby and Vikki.

“If there is anything else to be said, that should be between Barnaby and Vikki and whomever they are alleging made the comments.”