A Nationals MP who once described gay relationships as ‘sordid’ and presided over the bungled 2016 Census could soon be Australia’s acting prime minister.
Michael McCormack has been elected as Barnaby Joyce’s replacement as Nationals leader, making him Australia’s new Deputy Prime Minister.
The Veterans Affairs Minister, who hails from the Mafia-linked Riverina region in southern New South Wales, was elected by his Nationals colleagues shortly after 8am on Monday at Parliament House in Canberra.
With Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in the United States, Mr McCormack could potentially be running Australia in a few hours if senior Liberal frontbencher Mathias Cormann hands him the reins.
Veterans Affairs Minister Michael McCormack has been elected as the new Nationals leader
The 53-year-old former newspaper editor is therefore Australia’s new Deputy Prime Minister
The 53-year-old former newspaper editor controversially penned a Daily Advertiser editorial in 1993 which described gay relationship as a ‘sordid’ lifestyle linked to AIDS.
‘Unfortunately gays are here and, if the disease their unnatural acts helped spread doesn’t wipe out humanity, they’re here to stay,’ he said.
While he apologised for those remarks published in Wagga Wagga’s daily newspaper, he was the face of the bungled 2016 Census, which was conducted online.
He replaced as accident-prone Barnaby Joyce, who quit as Nationals leader last week following saturation coverage of his affair with former media adviser Vikki Campion.
Mr McCormack replaces Barnaby Joyce (pictured) who resigned as Nationals leader over his affair with a former media adviser 17 years his junior
The former Deputy Prime Minister (left) told colleagues he felt trapped in a ‘loveless’ marriage with Natalie (right) and hadn’t had sex in five years
Mr Joyce ‘felt trapped in a loveless marriage and hadn’t had sex in five years’ when he started seeing Vikki Campion, inside sources have revealed on the eve of the Nationals leadership contest .
On Friday Mr Joyce stood down as Nationals leader amid an investigation into fresh claims of sexual harassment. Mr Joyce has disputed the allegation, calling it ‘spurious and defamatory’.
Mr Joyce, who has four daughters with estranged wife Natalie, confirmed he is expecting a son with his former staffer Ms Campion, 33, after their affair became public this month.
Mr McCormack’s potential challengers David Gillespie, from NSW, and first-term Queensland MP pulled out of the race.
Mr Joyce’s affair with his former media adviser Vikki Campion ended his reign as Deputy PM
‘Now is not the time for internal contests. Now is the time for all individuals to be team players. Now is the time to think about stability and the good of the party,’ Mr Littleproud said in a statement.
Victorian MP Andrew Broad likened Mr McCormack to former leader Warren Truss.
‘Michael is going to be a good guy. I think he will be a very solid performer, but it’s the team that wins elections,’ he told ABC radio on Monday.
Mr McCormack has previously been criticised for penning a 1993 column when he was a former newspaper editor describing homosexuality as ‘sordid behaviour’. He has since apologised.
Mr Broad doesn’t believe Mr McCormack still holds those views.
‘I think Michael has become a very savvy parliamentarian and we’ve all said silly things in our past,’ he said.
Nationals backbencher Darren Chester said Mr McCormack, whose name is relatively unknown amongst the broader Australian public, should not be underestimated.
‘People will like Michael McCormack when they get to know him. He is a hell of a nice fellow but he’s also a determined guy,’ the Victorian told ABC TV.
‘They wouldn’t want to underestimate him. He fights hard for his community.’
NSW Nationals Senator John Williams also gave his support to Mr McCormack.
‘He’s good at achieving,’ he said.
Mr McCormack (pictured second right) was elected as Nationals leader on Monday morning
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, who was acting prime minister when Mr Joyce rang to say he was standing down, said Mr McCormack would do an excellent job.
‘He’s a very decent, fierce advocate for rural and regional Australia,’ he told ABC radio.
Acting Nationals leader Bridget McKenzie is hoping for a smooth leadership transition.
She also wants the Nationals’ coalition agreement with the Liberals made after the 2016 election to remain in place.
Labor frontbencher Joel Fitzgibbon said Australians should be allowed to know what’s in the agreement signed by the prime minister and the Nationals leader.
‘If he (Malcolm Turnbull) is going to rely on the support of a dysfunctional National party, surely the Australian people need to know what is in that agreement.’