Michael McCormack fails to give direct answer to questions on Nats leadership

Michael McCormack, touted as Barnaby Joyce’s replacement, fails to answer directly repeated questions over support for the party leader | WATCH.

The man being touted as Barnaby Joyce’s most likely replacement has failed to give a direct answer to more than ten questions about whether the Deputy Prime Minister has his personal support and whether he can rule out a challenge, saying only that there is no challenge to Mr Joyce’s leadership “at the moment”.

NSW Nationals MP Michael McCormack was asked whether it was time for Mr Joyce to step aside, following today’s Newspoll, which showed 65 per cent of Australians believe the Deputy Prime Minister should resign after having an affair with his pregnant former press secretary, who was given more lucrative jobs in other National Party offices after she left Mr Joyce’s office.

Mr McCormack said the National Party would not decide its office bearers based on Newspolls, immediately attempting to change the subject by talking about his trip to Darwin for the 76th commemoration of the bombing of the city, as Veterans Affairs Minister.

Asked whether he agreed with voters that Mr Joyce needs to step aside, Mr McCormack said Mr Joyce was taking a week off.

“I’m sure that members of the National Party, listening to our constituents, as we always are, I’m sure that we’re listening to our National Party branch members, as we always do, and certainly I know that the Nationals are focused on delivering,” Mr McCormack told Sky News.

“Barnaby’s having a week off. I think it’s time that everybody took a deep breath and talked more about the things that matter.”

Pressed again on whether Mr Joyce had his support, Mr McCormack said Mr Joyce had the support of the National Party.

“Barnaby Joyce is our leader. He’s taking a week off, he needs the week off, he’s requested the week off,” Mr McCormack said.

Asked yet again, Mr McCormack said Mr Joyce had done a “very good job delivering for rural and regional Australians”.

“This has, sure, been unfortunate. This has, sure, been a distraction. But, Barnaby Joyce is the leader, there is no spill, there is no vacancy at the moment, and certainly Barnaby Joyce will continue to be the leader as long as he gets the support of the National party room.

Asked why he was talking in the past tense and whether Mr Joyce had his personal support, Mr McCormack said: “Barnaby Joyce at the moment has the support of the National Party. That’s what matters.”

Asked again whether Mr Joyce had his personal support, Mr McCormack said he wanted to “scotch a couple of rumours” about him meeting with fellow Nationals, the Member for Hinkler Keith Pitt and Member for Mallee Andrew Broad, but again failed to give a direct answer.

“There has been a lot of reporting in the paper about so-called meetings in ministerial offices between the Member for Hinkler, the Member for Mallee and myself,” Mr McCormack said.

“No such meetings have taken place, in fact the Member for Mallee visited my office last week to talk about a veterans affairs matter and a regional development matter.

“Keith Pitt has not visited my office, repeat not visited my office whilst I’ve been the Minister for Veterans Affairs, and no such discussion about Barnaby Joyce has taken place in my office. That’s important.”

Mr McCormack also denied that he was part of a WhatsApp group between Nationals who support a leadership change.

“If there is, I’m not part of it, so I think you can read into that what you like, and at the moment I’m concentrating on being the Veterans Affairs Minister,” he said.

Asked yet again whether he supported Mr Joyce remaining leader, Mr McCormack yet again repeated that Mr Joyce was the leader of the party.

“There is no challenge at the moment, and as the leader of our party, I’m just saying that he has the party’s support,” he said.

“He has the party’s support. There are no plans at the moment. There are no plans, there are no secret meetings taking place.

“As far as I’m aware there are no clandestine WhatsApp chat groups between National Party members.”

Asked whether he could rule out a challenge for the leadership, Mr McCormack said he was concentrating on his job as a minister.

Pressed one more time, Mr McCormack finally said: “Of course I support Barnaby Joyce.”

“He’s our leader, he’s been a very good leader, the National Party in government has delivered,” he said.

Asked whether he could rule out challenging, Mr McCormack said it was a “very hypothetical question”.

“We’ll just have see what happens, what happens in the future,” he said.

“I’m not sure what’s going to happen this week. If I knew what was going to happen this week I’d be down at the local racetrack betting on the horses that I knew were going to come home.”

Asked whether colleagues had approached him to urge him to challenge, Mr McCormack said: “No”.

Pressed again, he said: “Of course there’s been talk about what may or may not happen, but at the moment Barnaby Joyce is the leader of the National Party.

“At the moment, Barnaby Joyce has the support of the National Party, and he has that support because we have delivered.”