Barnaby Joyce has been slammed online and labelled ‘a grub’ after revealing he may not be the father of his pregnant staffer’s baby – while claiming journalists never asked about the boy’s paternity.
The disgraced former deputy prime minister said Vicki Campion’s baby’s paternity is a ‘grey area’ because the child may have been conceived when he was in Europe with his wife.
‘If anyone had doubts about Joyce’s character I think they now have a clear picture of this grub, will sacrifice others on his blundering self-centered path,’ former independent member for New England Tony Windsor said.
Barnaby Joyce (pictured, right, with Vikki Campion) has revealed he can’t be certain he is the father of his pregnant staffer’s baby
The former deputy prime minister claimed he was never asked by the media if Vikki Campion’s baby was his when news of the scandal broke (pictured are Barnaby and Natalie Joyce)
Other angry voters also voiced their opinions over Twitter.
‘What’s the point of him telling us this? Is he sacrificing Vicki in an attempt to look noble?’ asked one woman.
‘Yes, just when you think old mate has hit rock bottom and there’s only one way to go from there. He’s proven that he can go lower! Some of your best work Barnaby! NOT!’ another tweeter said.
‘If I could give Vikki Campion just two words of advice it would be these: LEAVE. NOW,’ another tweet read.
He has also been slammed by Newscorp journalist Sharri Markson for claiming the question about the child’s paternity was never asked.
‘I directly ask Barnaby Joyce, before publication, if the baby is his and ask him to confirm he had already told his wife and daughters,’ Ms Markson tweeted.
The journalist included a screenshot of the email sent to Joyce which shows the matter of paternity was her first question.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has deflected attempts to question him about the latest revelation in the Joyce affair, the ABC reports.
‘The matters that are in the papers today relating to Barnaby and Ms [Vikki] Campion are matters for them to resolve,’ Mr Turnbull told reporters in Sydney.
‘I don’t have any comments to make on it at all.’
Joyce, who recently quit as leader of the Nationals said he plans to raise the child as his own, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
News of the scandal broke earlier this year eventually leading to Mr Joyce being forced to resign (pictured are Mr Joyce and Ms Campion at a bar in Sydney)
‘It’s mine, on the record, there it is. And can I say, even if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t care, I’d still go through this, I’d still love him,’ Mr Joyce (pictured) said
‘It’s mine, on the record, there it is. And can I say, even if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t care, I’d still go through this, I’d still love him,’ Mr Joyce said.
But he did admit there was a close relationship developing on a ‘sporadic basis’ around the time with his former staffer.
In the interview with Fairfax Media, Mr Joyce called initial coverage of his affair ‘outrageous’, and said neither he nor Ms Campion were asked about paternity.
‘How could they know? They never even asked if it was ‘Joyce’s bundle’,’ Mr Joyce said, referring to a headline which read ‘Bundle of Joyce’.
Vikki Campion, the former media advisor to Mr Joyce, is now pregnant with a son
Barnaby Joyce pictured in a bar in Sydney with Ms Campion in February 2017 just a few months before his former staffer fell pregnant
Mr Joyce, 50, said he does not plan to take a paternity test in the Saturday interview, during which Ms Campion, 33, was also present for some periods.
The backbencher said he was in Europe on an official visit with his wife Natalie for the ten days after June 23, 2017, while Ms Campion was in North Queensland.
The former deputy prime minister was forced to quit as the country’s number two in the wake of the scandal on February 22.
Pressure was rising on Mr Joyce ahead of his resignation from the frontbench when allegations of sexual harassment surfaced – which has completely denied.
Mr Joyce, 50, said he does not plan to take a paternity test in the Saturday interview, during which Ms Campion, 33, was also present for some periods (pictured are Barnaby and Natalie Joyce)
The former deputy prime minister (pictured) said he was never asked if Vikki Campion’s baby is his
When he announced the end of his term as deputy PM, Mr Joyce called for his decision to be ‘a circuit breaker’ for media coverage about his relationship and his unborn son.
‘This has got to stop. It’s not fair on them. It’s just completely and utterly unwarranted, the sort of observation that’s happened,’ he said.
Ms Campion was Mr Joyce’s former media advisor. She left his office in April 2017 and moved to another government department.
The pair were pictured in a Sydney bar in February 2017 months before news became public about their relationship.
Mr Joyce quit as deputy PM on February 22 and has now said the question of his paternity was a ‘grey area’
Mr Joyce and Ms Campion worked together for 12 months between April 2016 and August 2017.
During this time, the pair racked up a total expenses bill of $43,446 – including more than $25,000 for six VIP trips funded by the taxpayer.
Daily Mail Australia is not claiming Mr Joyce used public funding inappropriately during this time.
The couple travelled together throughout the east coast for 2,000km on a holiday together in December and January.
Barnaby Joyce told parliament of his separation from his wife in a same sex marriage debate in December
They travelled from Grafton in northern New South Wales, to north Queensland with a stop in Townsville – after Mr Joyce told parliament he was separated from his wife, Natalie.
The road to the affair started back in May 2016, when Ms Campion, a former journalist, joined Mr Joyce’s election campaign.
That August, she joined Mr Joyce’s office as a staffer and had split with her fiancee three months before the pair were due to get married.
In April 2017, after a reported confrontation with Natalie Joyce, Ms Campion moved to Matt Canavan’s office as an adviser.
Just a few months later, Malcolm Turnbull was reportedly told by Joyce that his relationship with Ms Campion was over.
Mr Joyce, an outspoken social conservative, separated from Natalie, the mother of his four daughters, after 24 years of marriage.