‘Want him back’: David Littleproud calls time on Barnaby Joyce’s sabbatical after Hanson dinner
Barnaby Joyce is wanted back in the party room despite a bizarre steak dinner with Pauline Hanson, the Nationals leader has revealed.
Renegade Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce is wanted back in the party room despite a bizarre steak dinner with Pauline Hanson, leader David Littleproud has revealed.
The New England MP announced last month that he intended to leave the Nationals, citing a breakdown with the party leadership.
Rumours have since swirled that Mr Joyce may join One Nation amid overtures from Senator Hanson that resulted in a late-night dinner in Senator Hanson’s office on Monday night.
Mr Littleproud said Mr Joyce had “wanted time and space” but urged him to return to the party room.
“We’ve given him that to work through where he wants to be,” he told Sky News.
“We want him back into our party room because that’s the contract that he and the people of New England signed, that he was a National Party member, and we hope that he comes back in (so) he can make a contribution.”
Mr Littleproud said Mr Joyce had made it “abundantly clear” that he would not stand in the next election.
Ley says Coalition united
Sussan Ley earlier dodged questions over Mr Joyce’s dinner with Senator Hanson and his future within the Coalition, telling interviewers she would “leave it there”.
The Opposition Leader admitted the “great wagyu producers” of her electorate “would be a bit worried about the sandwich press”.
“But, putting that aside, Barnaby is a friend,” Ms Ley told the ABC.
“I’ve known him for years as a colleague in parliament.
“What he does is entirely up to him, and I’ll leave it there.”
As for voters who may have voted for the Nationals because of Mr Joyce, Ms Ley said “Well, these are questions for the National Party”.
“I’m the leader of the opposition, yes, but the Liberal Party and my party room is firmly united behind a serious, compelling policy agenda that we want to take to the Australian people.”
Footage from Monday night showed Senator Hanson preparing three premium wagyu steaks on a sandwich press in her office before she sat down with Mr Joyce in the shadow of a large painting of herself in her office.
It came only hours after Senator Hanson stirred controversy when she wore a burqa to the Senate – an act that led to her suspension from parliament on Tuesday.
Senator Hanson has repeatedly welcomed Mr Joyce’s possible defection to One Nation, claiming he was “more aligned with One Nation than what he was with the National Party”.
O’Brien on Ley, leadership
Deputy Liberal leader Ted O’Brien has outlined his ambitions under a Ley government, but stopped short of commenting on party leadership aspirations. Questions have continued to swirl around Ms Ley’s position in the top job as Liberal colleagues including Andrew Hastie, Angus Taylor and Melissa McIntosh have publicly expressed ambitions to lead the party in recent months.
Deputy Liberal leader Ted O’Brien has outlined his ambitions under a Ley government, but stopped short of commenting on party leadership aspirations.
Questions have continued to swirl around Ms Ley’s position in the top job as Liberal colleagues including Andrew Hastie, Angus Taylor and Melissa McIntosh have publicly expressed ambitions to lead the party in recent months.
Speaking at the National Press Club, Mr O’Brien was asked his position on leading the party, including how many in the party room would support him in a potential bid.
“I can tell you my ambition. My ambition is to be the next treasurer of Australia under (a) Sussan Ley led Coalition government,” he said.
However, when pressed on his plans beyond Ms Ley, he replied: “I don’t know why you are doubting me”..
Ms Ley’s future has been subject to intense scrutiny amid dire opinion polls and the fallout of the Coalition scrapping its net zero target.
The move to axe the emissions target was reportedly seen by Liberal moderates as Ms Ley capitulating to the conservative bloc in her party.
It has also raised the question of Ms Ley’s future amid the growing public profiles of potential leadership challengers Mr Taylor and Mr Hastie.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers weighed into the conjecture on Wednesday, taking a swipe at Mr O’Brien.
“The member for Fairfax (Mr O’Brien) might look like Scott Morrison … He might be undermining his leader like Scott Morrison did,” Mr Chalmers said in question time as opposition interjections.
“But, more and more, he sounds like the member for Hume (Angus Taylor). And it didn’t work out real well for the member for Hume.”
Originally published as ‘Want him back’: David Littleproud calls time on Barnaby Joyce’s sabbatical after Hanson dinner
