Andrew Broad embraces ‘second chance’ with family

Disgraced Nationals MP Andrew Broad says his ­resignation will give him a second chance at being a ­father and husband.

Andrew Broad with his wife Rachel at their Marong farm.

Disgraced “sugar daddy” Nationals MP Andrew Broad says his ­resignation from federal parliament at the next election will give him a second chance at being a ­father and husband.

He insisted he was “determined not to blow it” after a slew of ­salacious allegations ended his political career.

Mr Broad, who resigned from the frontbench on Monday and will not recontest his Victorian seat of Mallee after pursuing a Hong Kong “sugar babe”, said he was determined to change his life and “my family is my focus now”.

“At the end of everyone’s professio­nal life, we pack up our desk and go to our house. I want to walk into a house with a wife who still loves me and a daughter who knows me,” Mr Broad told The Australian.

“If I don’t make changes now, I will walk into an empty house with no wife and a daughter who ­despises me. I’ve been given a secon­d chance and I’m determined not to blow it.”

His attempt at redemption came as Veterans’ Affairs Minister Darren Chester, one of party ­leader Michael McCormack’s key supporters, ­declared there would be “no leadership change” ahead of the election and hit back at angry colleagues questioning the Deputy Prime Minister’s credentials in the wake of the scandal.

As the Nationals leader continued to insist on his claim that he was unaware of “allegations of improprie­ty” against Mr Broad ­before this week, Mr Chester warned colleagues questioning Mr McCormack’s judgment over the affair to stop destabilising the party.

Several Nationals MPs have told The Australian the scandal had become a “leadership issue” for Mr McCormack, who pro­moted Mr Broad to his assistant minister in August and told Scott Morrison about allegations against the MP only on Monday morning when they were publishe­d in New Idea magazine.

One Nationals MP said Mr ­McCormack “will be replaced” after the election.

“If any of my colleagues have any concerns about the leader, they all have his mobile number and they can raise it directly with him,” Mr Chester said.

“There will be no leadership change of the Nationals ahead of the next election. Michael has handled some very difficult circumst­ances extremely well and our party needs to get back to ­focusing on the issues that matter to regional Australians.”

Mr Chester acknowledged that the Nationals partyroom met to ­decide its leadership team after every election and while he would not predict who would lead the party, he said Mr McCormack “has my full support and is doing a great job”.

Mr McCormack’s leadership has come under increasing pressur­e in the wake of the “sugar babe” saga and was further undermined yesterday when Barnaby Joyce said he had received reports when he was leader of alleged sexual indiscretion­s by Mr Broad, as reveale­d in The Australian.

Other Nationals MPs questioned why Mr Broad was leaving parliament when Mr Joyce had ­remained following his affair with staffer Vicki Campion, who gave birth to his baby son earlier this year. Nationals deputy leader Bridget McKenzie refused for a third day to rule out quitting the Senate to run for Mr Broad’s lower-house seat, but endorsed Mr McCormack and suggested she would not support a Joyce return to the leadership.