Barnaby Joyce reflects on ‘tumultuous' world his son has entered ahead of TV interview

Barnaby Joyce has reflected on the “tumultuous’’ world his fifth child has entered as he and his partner face criticism for signing a $150,000 tell-all TV deal.

Barnaby Joyce and Vikki Campion with son Sebastian. Picture: Diimex

Barnaby Joyce says the birth of his son, Sebastian, had made him more reflective about the challenges Australia faced, outlining his concerns that his fifth child had been born in one of the most “tumultuous periods that anyone can experience”.

As the former deputy PM and his partner Vikki Campion come under attack for signing a $150,000 tell-all TV deal — revealed exclusively by The Weekend Australian — Mr Joyce said the nation better “toughen up, princess” and be pragmatic rather than emotional to tackle the challenges of a changing world where China is trying to dominate geopolitics.

In written comments to The Australian ahead of his paid interview with the Seven Network’s Sunday Night, Mr Joyce said he was concerned public policy dictated by emotions would make the Australia his son grows up in poorer.

He identified the debate around coal-fired power stations and live sheep exports as examples of powerful people making decisions with their hearts rather than their heads.

“The baby is born in what must be one of the most tumultuous periods that anyone could experience,” Mr Joyce said.

“I now have some new spare time on the backbench considering a more distant view of Canberra and a closer view of my constituency.

“Maybe having a new child has renewed my concerns as to what lies in his future. He will be posed with a question on whether the pragmatic side of our nature tempered the emotive.

“If we want a future in a China dominated Western Pacific then we better toughen up princess. Toughen up if you want your kids to have the hope for the future that you had. It will be a different world where the superpower may not be a democracy and may not feel the urge to follow the rule book others did.”

Mr Joyce said allowing AGL to close the Liddell coal-fired power station in the NSW Hunter Valley was foolish as cheap power was the “cornerstone” of Australian industry. He said the government’s unwillingness to take further action to keep Liddell open would render Australia into a service economy.

“We have now made the conscious decision that we will be a service economy, taking in each other’s washing and taking legal action against each other before renovating kitchens,” he said.

“We appear to have lost sight that there has to be a primary source of wealth if you want a secondary or tertiary sector.”

He added Labor’s decision to phase out live sheep exports because of incidences of animal cruelty was akin to “shutting highways because of a horrific car crash”.

Mr Joyce applauded the budget but noted it benefited from increased company tax revenues.

“Much coming from a mining sector many deride as almost satanic,” he said.

“This budget will put us on a path to paying some of the billions we owe to so many people in other countries that could only dream of our standard of living; countries lending us money as we have members moving motions to shut down our exports or close our power stations.”

Mr Joyce’s son Sebastian was born last month at Armidale Hospital in regional NSW.

He was forced to resign as Nationals leader and deputy prime minister to the backbench after it was exposed his former staffer and current partner, Ms Campion, was pregnant with his baby. The affair also cost him his marriage of 25 years to Natalie Joyce, with whom he had four daughters.

His comments came as it was revealed Mr Joyce and Ms Campion have lodged a complaint with The Australian Press Council against The Daily Telegraph for breaching their privacy when it ­exposed their relationship.

The Daily Telegraph's Page One story.

The Daily Telegraph’s political editor Sharri Markson broke the story Ms Campion was pregnant with the former Nationals leader in February. Ms Campion, who used to work for the newspaper, filed a complaint with the APC in March on the grounds the couple’s privacy was breached by the reports, The Daily Telegraph reports today.

The newspaper said that it will vigorously defend the complaint in the Press Council.

There is dismay among some of Mr Joyce’s former colleagues over his deal with Seven. Health Minister Greg Hunt yesterday said he was “100 per cent certain” no cabinet minister would participate in a paid media interview.

A senior Nationals MP yesterday said the former deputy prime minister’s life was “turning into a soap opera”. And a moderate ­Liberal MP labelled Mr Joyce’s decision to do the interview on the Sunday Night as “lost-the-plot stuff”.

“It is like saying ‘This fire is getting out of control so I am going to put it out with kerosene’,” the Liberal MP said. “The concern is he is destabilising; there is a view that he is doing damage to us.”

Mr Hunt was reluctant to criticise Mr Joyce for agreeing to the paid interview but stressed no cabinet member of the government would consider being paid for a media appearance. “I am ­absolutely certain, 100 per cent certain, that it’s not a position anyone in the cabinet would take and, as for their particular family, I don’t think it’d be appropriate of me to comment on those circumstances,” he said.

However, Nationals senator John “Wacka” Williams defended Mr Joyce. Senator Williams said he would not pass judgment on the former Nationals leader for accepting the money for the interview. “I judge Barnaby on the job he does and his politics as the member for New England, what he does with his private life, of him and Vikki and his son Sebastian, that is up to him to decide it is not for me to judge I’m sorry,” Senator Williams told ABC radio.

“It is going to be very public but it is not for me to judge, if he decides to do that that is his business, none of my business and I’m not going to make a judgment one way or the other whether it is right or wrong, that is his decision.”

Senator Williams said he would probably not accept money for an interview while a member of the federal parliament. “Why would anyone want to pay me for an interview? But no I probably wouldn’t,” he said.

With Remy Varga