Barnaby Joyce, alongside his parents, has cast his vote in the New England by-election at his old primary school in the region’s rural heartland.
He also issued a stern warning to agitators in the coalition, which is facing division between the National and Liberal partners.
Mr Joyce, along with father James and mother Marie, voted at Woolbrook Public School on Saturday afternoon while the rest of the electorate’s approximately 110,000 voters did the same at polling booths across the region.
Barnaby Joyce has returned to the New England electorate to cast his vote in the by-election
Barnaby Joyce greets his mother Marie Joyce (left) as she arrives to vote at Woolbrook Primary
Mr Joyce arrives at his pop-up office in Glen Innes in the New England electorate on Friday
The former Deputy MP leaves after voting at Woolbrook Primary School on Saturday afternoon
Mr Joyce said returning to his roots was a chance to show he would keep fighting for rural inhabitants in the ‘weatherboard and iron’ communities.
‘What people ask for in these communities are things like mobile phone reception, some sort of parity in their opportunities. They want you to seal their roads, to stop the centralisation of services away from them,’ he told reporters outside the school on Saturday.
He joked being school captain was now the highest office he held since being ousted from the position of deputy prime minister in late October.
Mr Joyce, the overwhelming favourite in the by-election, said it was very important to return to Canberra to continue his work.
He acknowledged towns in Victoria which are at risk of flooding and urged his political colleagues to greenlight the regional investment corporation bill to inject financial aid to rural communities in times of hardship.
Former deputy PM Barnaby Joyce talked to Glen Innes residents in the New England electorate
Mr Joyce speaks to media after voting at Woolbrook Primary inn the New England electorate
When asked if he’d like to send a message to his coalition colleagues who have pushed for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to resign, Mr Joyce fire back quickly ‘I’ll be back tomorrow’.
Mr Joyce has apologised to the electorate for putting them through the snap by-election because of his New Zealand citizenship, but said it would not be surprising if more MPs were found ineligible.
He is facing off against 16 opponents, but without a singularly prominent rival, analysts expect him to comfortably regain his seat.
Analysts expect Mr Joyce to regain his seat in the New England electorate in the by-election
Barnaby Joyce’s parents Marie Joyce (left) and James Joyce leave after voting at Woolbrook