Barnaby Joyce has vented his frustration that he has spent the election campaign cooped up in his own seat after his leadership rival brought in a new rule to keep him out of the spotlight.
But the twice former Deputy Prime Minister has insisted he is not being a ‘f***ing sook’ over the ban and is still prepared to go wherever is required at the drop of a hat to help the Coalition’s cause.
The National Party brought in a rule late last year that required shadow ministers to get permission from party leader David Littleproud – Mr Joyce’s rival – to travel to other electorates during campaign season.
It was widely interpreted as a bid to hide Mr Joyce, the member for New England in northern NSW, in his electorate amid fears he was a turn-off for voters, particularly women.
One Nationals MP – a detractor – said: ‘Of course we want to keep him in New England! He’s a loose cannon who could derail campaigns in other states by serving as a reminder of just how messy his own career in politics has been.’
And the ploy seems to have mostly worked – with the high-profile former party leader, 57, rarely straying outside New England and cutting a conspicuous absence from the Coalition’s campaign aside from his weekly Sunrise appearances.
Daily Mail Australia witnessed the one-time party leader strolling into a shopping mall in Tamworth at lunchtime on Wednesday, before he visited a McDonald’s outlet and picked up a six-pack of beer from an IGA with wife Vikki and their two young sons.
When approached by this publication for his thoughts about having his wings clipped by the party leadership, Mr Joyce said: ‘You’ll have to talk to Littleproud’s office about that.
Daily Mail Australia witnessed Barnaby Joyce strolling into a shopping mall in Tamworth at lunchtime on Wednesday, before he visited a McDonald’s outlet and picked up a six-pack of beer from an IGA with wife Vikki and the couple’s two young sons
They stopped at a local IGA en route home around 2pm where Mr Joyce appeared to buy a bottle of Chardonnay and a six-pack of James Boags’ premium beer
Barnaby Joyce is seen exiting an IGA food and liquor store with a bag containing a six pack of James Boags premium lager. Despite giving up booze, Mr Joyce he insisted he is not a ‘wowser’: ‘ Maybe at some stage I’ll have a beer again, but at the moment, nah’
Mr Joyce appeared to be carrying a bag containing a six pack of James Boags Premium Lager
‘It doesn’t worry me, I’m back with my people,’ he added.
‘I just walk humbly and never taken anything for granted. That sounds like a trite line but it’s true.’
When quizzed on the experience he might have been able to bring to the Coalition’s lacklustre campaign so far, Mr Joyce grew reflective.
‘I’d hate to see us lose some seats by 100 votes or 50 votes,’ he said.
‘This is egotistical, right. But I’ve won back a Senate seat, which we lost. I won it back off One Nation.
‘I won back a lower house seat, down here against Tony Windsor, with one of the biggest swings in Australian political history – 28 per cent. And I did it in two different states.’
Mr Joyce insisted his aim was to just ‘be humble, (to) try and talk straight’ and that he had helped where he could by sending ‘a swag of money to a couple of electorates’.
‘Look I’ll go where I’m asked. If somebody said last week, “oh, s**t. We’re in trouble. We need you to go here, here and here.” I’m not a f***ing sook. I’d immediately do it,’ he added.
The former Nationals leader, 57, has been curiously quiet this campaign, rarely straying outside New England and only occasionally appearing on Seven’s Sunrise (pictured: Mr Joyce and his journalist wife, Vikki Campion)
Mr Joyce was mobbed by supporters in the shopping mall opposite his office (pictured)
He was happy greeting voters, several of whom came up to him to tell them he had their vote and to ‘keep up the good work’
‘I had the Hunter Valley campaign saying “please, please, please come down” so I went down and Lyne said “please, please, please come across”, so I went across, I’m not a sook – I’ll go if I’m asked.
‘But if I’m not asked, I’m not going to just turn up. That’s in their hands. In the meantime, I’ll try to turn this into the safest seat in Australia.’
A Nationals campaign spokesperson insisted that ‘all MPs are part of a co-ordinated approach to give The Nationals the best chance of winning seats and getting Australia back on track’.
‘Barnaby Joyce was asked by the campaign to go to the Hunter Valley and Lyne. Mr Joyce has also been to seats in Queensland, Northern Territory and throughout New South Wales,’ the spokesperson added.
But Mr Joyce was certainly playing the role of local MP, rather than twice former Deputy Prime Minister, on Wednesday.
He was happy greeting voters, several of whom came up to him to tell them he had their vote and to ‘keep up the good work’.
A short time later, he met his wife Vikki and their two boys at his campaign office before they all got into the car for a family McDonalds’ drive-thru lunch.
They stopped at a local IGA en route home around 2pm where Mr Joyce appeared to buy a bottle of Chardonnay and a six-pack of James Boags’ premium beer.
Infamously, Mr Joyce gave up the grog when Daily Mail Australia published a video of him sprawled on a Canberra pavement mumbling obscenities into his phone late at night in February last year.
He blamed the embarrassing episode on mixing prescription pills with alcohol and in an interview with Nine Newspapers last June, said he had quite the booze and lost 15kg in the process.
A short time later, he, his wife Vikki and their two boys stopped by his campaign office before they headed to McDonalds
Infamously, Mr Joyce gave up the grog when Daily Mail Australia published a video of him sprawled on a Canberra pavement mumbling obscenities into his phone late at night in February last year
But he insisted he was not a ‘wowser’, adding: ‘Maybe at some stage I’ll have a beer again, but at the moment, nah’.
Asked on Thursday whether he thought he would lose his front bench role as spokesperson for Veterans’ Affairs, Mr Joyce was tight-lipped.
‘That’s a choice for the leadership at the time,’ he said.
‘I’ll do whatever job I’m given. People think I get all bent and twisted out of shape but (it doesn’t). It allows me greater liberty to speak my mind on other issues.’
One key issue in his sights is intermittent power in rural areas which he blames on renewable energy.
He has copped some flack locally for failing to attend two ‘meet the candidate’ events but Mr Joyce accused some of them of being ‘set-ups’.
‘I’ll go to a couple but I’m not going to go to 20 meet the candidates because a lot of the times it’s just the Labor party stacking it up with their mates and you walk in there and they go: “Is it true you punched Debbie Tenassi in 1973 at primary school?”
Mr Joyce insisted his aim was to just ‘be humble, (to) try and talk straight’ and that he had helped where he could by sending ‘a swag of money to a couple of electorates’
In the meantime, I’ll try to turn this into the safest seat in Australia,’ he added
‘And you go, “what the f**k?” You know, what’s the point of this s***?’
Asked if he’d consider stepping down at the next election, he said: ‘I’ll take everything in my own time.’ I take advice from the people.
‘I’ve had an incredible career. I’ve been Deputy Prime Minister of Australia twice, so I’ll take advice from people around me,’ he said.
‘You don’t want to go stale in the job. Whilst your enthusiasm and your energy’s there, you do it. But… you just listen to these people.’
A Nationals MP, who did not want to be named so they could speak their minds freely, defended the decision to keep Mr Joyce out of sight.
If Joyce campaigned in other seats, they seat, he would serve as a reminder of ‘just how messy his own career in politics has been.
‘The party has moved on from his leadership and the last thing we want is voters being reminded he’s still hanging around and won’t retire,’ they added.