Barnaby Joyce has not yet accepted offer to take leave
Former deputy PM Barnaby Joyce has not yet taken up the invitation from his leader, David Littleproud, to take leave after being filmed last week lying on a Canberra footpath.
Barnaby Joyce has not taken up an invitation from Nationals leader David Littleproud to take leave after the latter “strongly encouraged” him to do so following the emergence last week of footage of the former deputy prime minister lying on a Canberra footpath and swearing on his phone.
Mr Joyce has faced strong criticism and calls to leave politics since the incident, with the former Nationals leader telling colleagues he’d had an adverse reaction to alcohol because of medication he had been taking and he was deeply embarrassed.
The Australian understands Mr Joyce has not ruled out taking leave but as of Wednesday evening he had not conveyed any plans to take leave to either Peter Dutton or Mr Littleproud.
On the Seven Network’s Sunrise program, Mr Littleproud strongly suggested Mr Joyce – the opposition spokesman for veterans’ affairs – take leave, saying there were “deeply personal circumstances” at play that Mr Joyce needed to address.
Mr Littleproud added: “It’s beyond the medication and I don’t want to overreach into people’s lives. That is not my job.
“But my job is to create the environment to know he is supported. His behaviour was not acceptable but there were circumstances that drove that.
“Obviously this wasn’t normal behaviour and Barnaby has embarrassed himself and his family.
“While he’s articulated some of the underlying issues and circumstances, there are other circumstances.”
In an interview with the same program on Monday morning, Mr Joyce said: “It was a very eventful walk home, wasn’t it?
“So anyway, that’s, you know, I should have followed the …‑ I’m on a prescription drug, and they say certain things may happen to you if you drink, and they were absolutely 100 per cent right. They did.”
Mr Joyce will retain his position in shadow cabinet but Nationals colleague Anne Webster said his actions would hurt the party’s standing with women, and Labor backbencher Tania Lawrence likened him to Sir Les Patterson, Barry Humphries’ vulgar caricature of an Australian politician.
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