Nationals MPs rally up numbers to oust Barnaby Joyce

A group of Nationals MPs have been trying to rally the votes needed to oust Barnaby Joyce, as pressure mounts on the embattled deputy prime minister to quit.

At least four Nationals MPs are trying to get Mr Joyce to resign, but they do not yet have the numbers in the 21-member party room to force a change.

The Nationals leader is standing firm in the face of calls for his resignation from both side of politics and said he is determined to get through his ‘time of trial’.

A rogue group of Nationals MPs have been trying to rally the votes needed to oust Barnaby Joyce, as pressure mounts on the embattled deputy prime minister to quit (pictured is Mr Joyce’s former staffer Vikki Campion)

About four or five Nationals MPs are trying to get Mr Joyce (pictured) to resign, but they do not yet have the numbers in the 21-member party room to force a change

New South Wales politician Adam Marshall is being touted as the person likely to replace the beleaguered minister in New England if he is forced to quit parliament.

Mr Marshall, who is the state tourism minister, is seen by the Nationals as the man to step into Mr Joyce’s seat in northern NSW, Fairfax Media reports.

Mr Marshall has been described as a ‘rising star’ by a senior party member and is said to have ‘one of the best political brains in the partyroom’.

Other possible New England candidates are former senator Fiona Nash, and state MPs Kevin Anderson and Kevin Humphries.

The Nationals leader is standing firm in the face of calls for his resignation from both side of politics and said he is determined to get through his ‘time of trial’ (pictured are Ms Campion, left, and Matt Canavan, right)

New South Wales politician Adam Marshall is being touted as the person likely to replace the beleaguered minister in New England if he is forced to quit parliament (pictured is Mr Joyce)

Mr Marshall, who is the state tourism minister, is seen by the Nationals as the man to step into Mr Joyce’s seat in northern NSW (pictured are Barnaby and Natalie Joyce)

The Barnaby Joyce affair – Timeline

2016

May – Vikki Campion assists Barnaby Joyce’s election campaign as media adviser, having previously worked with NSW government ministers and News Corp

August – Campion joins Joyce’s staff. She splits with fiance John Bergin, three months before they were due to wed. Friendship develops between Joyce and Campion

December – Chief of staff Di Hallam reportedly seeks Joyce’s approval to have Campion transferred out of office. Hallam later quits to take up departmental role

2017

February – Campion is photographed in a Sydney bar with Joyce

April – Barnaby’s wife Natalie reportedly confronts Campion in Tamworth. Campion goes to minister Matt Canavan office as adviser. Natalie and Barnaby seek to make marriage work

May – At New South Wales Nationals conference in Broken Hill colleagues describe Joyce as ‘a mess’

June – Natalie and Barnaby show up together at Canberra press gallery midwinter ball

July – Campion leaves Canavan office after he quits frontbench over citizenship. She temporarily goes back to Joyce’s office

August – Campion moves to Damian Drum’s office in a social media adviser position specially created for her. He already has a media adviser. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is reportedly reassured by Joyce the relationship with Campion is over. Drum says he was told the same thing. Former Joyce chief of staff Di Hallam takes up a senior position with the Inland Rail project

September – Natalie reportedly asks family friend, Catholic priest Father Frank Brennan, to counsel Joyce. Campion is seen managing Joyce media events at federal Nationals conference in Canberra

October – Campion reportedly takes stress leave. Writ issued for New England by-election after Joyce quits over dual citizenship

November – Natalie holidays in Bali with a daughter. Man in a pub in Inverell angers Joyce during election campaign by reportedly saying: ‘Say hello to your mistress’

December – Joyce wins by-election. Joyce tells parliament during same-sex marriage debate he is separated. Campion’s redundancy package is approved. They move into an Armidale property provided rent-free by businessman Greg Maguire

2018

January – Joyce and Campion holiday in north Queensland and NSW north coast

February – Joyce tells reporters Campion is now his partner. But denies she was his partner when she worked in Canavan’s office

Mid-April – Joyce-Campion baby is due

Source: AAP from media reports and official statements

Mr Joyce on Tuesday apologised to his estranged wife, daughters, pregnant partner, Coalition MPs and voters, but showed no sign he intended to step down.

Veterans Affairs Minister Michael McCormack, who has missed out twice on becoming deputy leader, on Tuesday night denied he had been having conversations with colleagues to replace Mr Joyce.

‘No I haven’t,’ he told reporters in Canberra.

Tony Abbott’s former chief of staff when he was prime minister, Peta Credlin, told Sky News if the majority of the Nationals had a show of unity and declared they backed Mr Joyce, ‘this goes away as much as possible for the government’.

Mr Joyce (pictured, right, with Ms Campion) on Tuesday apologised to his estranged wife, daughters, pregnant partner, Coalition MPs and voters, but showed no sign he intended to step down

Malcolm Turnbull expressed confidence in Mr Joyce, who denied breaching the ministerial code of conduct over the employment of his pregnant former staffer Vikki Campion in two political jobs (pictured is Mr Joyce with his estranged wife Natalie and their daughters)

Malcolm Turnbull expressed confidence in Mr Joyce, who denied breaching the ministerial code of conduct over the employment of his pregnant former staffer Vikki Campion in two political jobs.

‘I would like to say to [my wife] Natalie how deeply sorry I am for all the hurt this has caused. To my girls, how deeply sorry I am for all the hurt it has caused them,’ Mr Joyce told reporters outside federal parliament on Tuesday.

Mr Joyce said his marriage had been under pressure for some time before the affair began.

He also apologised to voters in his New England electorate for ‘this personal issue’ going public.

Mr Joyce (pictured) said his marriage had been under pressure for some time before the affair began

Mr Joyce also apologised to voters in his New England electorate for ‘this personal issue’ going public (pictured is Ms Campion)

Full Statement from Barnaby Joyce

Guys, how are you going? I’ll make a statement. I won’t take any questions. Ready?

This morning, in the Telegraph and the Courier-Mail, and referred to in other papers, is a story that is not the truth.

The story – it’s not a case that I didn’t recollect it. It did not happen.

This is a story that has been brought about by a person unnamed, at a venue unnamed, at a time unnamed, seven years ago, and has been peddled by the bitterest of political enemies to me.

It is not something that I’m unaware of. They’ve had it on social media for years.

It’s just, in the past, I don’t believe it dignified a response. But today, it’s in the paper and, as such, I reserve all my legal rights as to what action I should pursue.

On another issue, I would like to say to Natalie how deeply sorry I am for all the hurt this has caused.

To my girls, how deeply sorry I am for all the hurt that it has caused them.

To Vikki Campion, how deeply sorry I am that she has been dragged into this.

I would like to also say to my supporters and people in my electorate how deeply sorry I am that this personal issue – deeply personal issue – has gone into the public arena.

I am very aware of the Ministerial Code of Conduct.

It is without a shadow of a doubt that Vikki Campion is my partner now. But when she worked in my office, she was not my partner.

When she worked in Matt Canavan’s office, she was not my partner. And Damian Drum was not a minister.

I think this is vitally important in how we differentiate between the public and the private. Thank you.

‘Every political career has a time of trial,’ he told a coalition partyroom meeting.

Mr Joyce denied breaching the ministerial code of conduct, which says frontbenchers cannot employ close relatives or partners or get them work in other ministerial offices ‘without the prime minister’s express approval’.

‘When she worked in my office, she was not my partner. When she worked in Matt Canavan’s office, she was not my partner. And Damian Drum was not a minister,’ Mr Joyce said.

Former Nationals leader Warren Truss said the situation needed to be resolved quickly.

Mr Joyce’s child with Ms Campion is due in mid-April.

Mr Joyce (pictured with wife Natalie) denied breaching the ministerial code of conduct, which says frontbenchers cannot employ close relatives or partners or get them work in other ministerial offices ‘without the prime minister’s express approval’

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