Say what you want about the National Party under the leadership of David Littleproud — it’s been a while since anyone has been moved to describe it as “unfit for office, any office, any time“. Over the weekend, it became apparent that some Nats found this unacceptable.
“The National Party looks set for another leadership change, with opponents of David Littleproud increasingly confident he is on borrowed time,” promised The Daily Telegraph. His crimes seem to be that he’s too subservient to Liberal Leader Peter Dutton and that he’s “gaining a reputation among some for ‘flying off the handle’.”
So who better to ameliorate this situation than the steady, calm temper and unifying rhetoric of Barnaby Joyce?
Yep, inevitably, Joyce (along with climate sceptic backbencher and guy you’re about to google, Keith Pitt) is being put forward as the solution to the Nats’ apparent woes. Several sources — including in the original piece — have come forward to say the whole thing is nonsense and Dutton is reportedly very keen that Littleproud stay in place. Perhaps they remember all the other times Joyce veered in and out of the Nationals’ leadership and the embarrassment and damage it caused the Coalition.
2017
Joyce had been in federal Parliament for more than a decade — sliding from the Senate in Queensland to a lower house seat in NSW — by the time he assumed the party leadership in 2016. In that time, he was best known for mistaking billions for trillions, threatening to cross the floor to extract pork for his region, musing about the likelihood of Australia defaulting, and receiving international acclaims for threatening to murder some dogs. So who could have known he was going to cause some embarrassment to the government in his role as deputy PM almost immediately?
As the the citizenship farrago of 2017 stretched on, Joyce was caught up — not before having bizarrely claimed to have never been to England — and forced into a byelection, which he won easily. But much worse was to come.
2018
During the marriage-equality debate (Joyce opposed the extension of marriage to same-sex couples), Joyce revealed he and his wife had separated. In February, the Tele ran a front page confirming rumours that had swirled for months — that Joyce was expecting a baby with Vikki Campion, a member of his staff with whom he’d had an affair. The resultant outcry lead to calls for Joyce’s resignation from friend and foe. There was an open war of words when then-PM Malcolm Turnbull called on Joyce to “consider his position”, before announcing a widely mocked “bonk ban” in Parliament.
This wasn’t enough, though. It took (never resolved and always denied by Joyce) allegations of sexual harassment against him to trigger a leadership spill — and Michael McCormack got the top job.
It only took a matter of months for rumours that Joyce was soon to return to the top job to bubble up again — as if the new Scott Morrison government, fresh from a coup of its own and soon to lose Turnbull’s seat of Wentworth to independent Kerryn Phelps, needed any more internal dysfunction.
2020
In February 2020, on a day that was supposed to have been dedicated to Parliament paying its respects to the victims of the recent bushfire catastrophe, a decent chunk of of the Nationals decided it was better to make the day about them. The icing on the cake was that that the way they chose to do it by attempting to reinstate as leader a guy who had spent the last year ranting on Facebook about “barking mad” climate change action. At the end of a farcical day, McCormack remained leader — we’ll never know the margin, as the numbers were not released.
2021
By June 2021, Joyce was ready for yet another crack, and this time he was successful. To give a flavour of his approach, the well-regarded then-veterans affairs minister Darren Chester was swiftly and spitefully dumped for none other than Bridget McKenzie.
Joyce stayed in the role until the Coalition’s catastrophic election defeat in May 2022. At the time, Bernard Keane reflected on his influence in Crikey:
Joyce provided a convenient, one-size-fits-all, all-you-can-eat symbol of what was wrong with climate policy, integrity and the basic standards of decency in public life. Not for nothing did the teal independents make liberal — pun intended — use of the phrase ‘A vote for X is a vote for Barnaby’.
Surveying the smoking ruins of the Morrison government, Joyce — true to form — doesn’t care, saying it’s not his problem, comparing his influence to Tim Wilson losing Nationals votes in their seats, and flagging, inevitably, that net zero is again up for discussion.
Will we see another stint as leader added to this glorious CV?
Could you bear it? Barnaby Joyce back running the Nats? Let us know by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
As a public servant I sat in a quite a few meetings and conferences where Minister Joyce, red-faced, spittle-flying, would mount increasingly incoherent and bizarre attacks on the public service and the Murray Darling Commission (he appointed most of them) for trying to implement what was then his government’s policy. He would visit towns a day or two in advance of planned community consultations on the MD’s future and (allegedly) plant the seeds in the local pubs that resulted in many of these meeting turning into abuse and threats against public servants. I have nothing good to say about this man, he has laid waste to everything decent about Tim Fischer’s legacy. He is, in short, an utter grub, living his life on the public payroll as Gina’s poodle.
Best sum up of a politician I have read for many years,for the young in this country you don’t know if you should cry for them about our political class, or tell them to rebel
And a poodle groomer for gutam adani
They love him in the bush
I have the misfortune of living in the New England electorate and have to suffer his inanities all the time. Not only that but the state member is little better!
Well, and accurately, summarised character assessment of a waste of space, contributing nothing, and living on the public purse, like the parasitic species represented by many of these LNP imbeciles. Am I being too harsh?
“The Blithering Hillbillies…. Starring Michael McCormack as Jed Clampett; Bridget McKenzie as Ellie-May Clampett; Michelle Landry as Granny May; and reintroducing Cousin Jethro as himself….. With Brian Littleproud as Milburn Drysdale; Jacinta Price as Jane Hathaway – and Matt “Coal Smudge” Canavan as Jethro’s understudy and stunt double…… Sponsored, produced and directed by Gina Rinehart – for Rinehart & Assoc. Enterprises.”
Just when you think they couldn’t get any lower, they can’t help ’emselves.
What role for DAVID Littleproud in this lot?
Maranoa : Condamine….. wouldn’t you change your name …..?
He’s known as David Littlle-To-Be-Proud-About among non-supporters. I can see NP voters suffering from seeing him silent on the Opposition front bench trying to decide between a quiet leader who looks as if he’s basically a seat-warmer as opposed to a raucous, incoherent loose cannon who so many people think is also toxic, ignorant, offensive and who too often looks and sounds unfit to be in HoR in any position.
Non-supporters probably think they’re jolly clever coming up with that nickname. not exactly staring you in the face is it?
But still accurate
At least he has nothing to be ashamed of, which is much more than can be said about Bananaby
He’s got little to be proud of on any level
Where’s the k_pitt
….Skinny dippin’ in the ce-ment pond?
“… c_ment-pond”?
That sums it up!
Oh, Barnaby. The National’s goofy, buffoonish lummox. The Joh Beilke-Peterson for the new millennium, laughable, loveable, larrikin Barnaby, like Joh or Boris from Britain, doing untold damage while distracting the population with all sorts of cunning stunts.
They have their place, me thinks of a symbiotic relationship between Joyce, Nats, big Ag, mining and fossil fuels, with powerful players in Oz inc. media & mining proprietors, and a Koch/Atlas linked climate science denying think tank, while encouraging beliefs and Christianity.
Outcomes, wedging (a la US ‘bill mill’ ALEC) the more centrist and science following Liberals in the LNP coalition by lobbying and electoral threats, to maintain the status quo; bad luck for small medium farmers, regional towns and communities?
Its well within the Nats ability to put him back in the top job. Not a brain between them anymore. Let them fade away.
One must surmise that Donald Trump would also get a good run with the Nationals as the bar for leadership is being set lower and lower.
That’s what happens when the talent pool is so shallow
And in need of a good dose of chlorine.
More like a puddle.
On a dusty track.
In summer, at noon.
Pond slime needs better conditions than those.