Barnaby Joyce says he will resign from the National party, telling the parliament he was seeking “a better position” than the Coalition backbenches and claiming he has been ignored by his party leadership.
The backbencher has not confirmed if he will – as widely speculated – seek to join One Nation or remain as an independent crossbencher. But he says he is “strongly considering” joining the party, reaffirming his plan to not contest the next election as the member for New England but holding the door open to a Senate run.
Joyce, in a short statement to the House of Representatives before question time on Thursday, the last day of parliament for the year, claimed he had been left on the “ejection seat” of the backbenches of the Coalition.
“When I announced this about five weeks ago, apart from a 90-second conversation with the leader, I had no communication with the leader of the National party or the deputy leader. So that’s disappointing,” he said.
Sign up: AU Breaking News email
“So after 30 years with the National party, I am resigning from the party. And that leaves me with a heavy heart. And I apologise for all of the hurt that that will cause. I really do.”
Joyce pledged to “continue on that fight” to win support for regional Australia, but said he would seek to “get myself into a better position than the ejection chair of the backbench of the Coalition in opposition”.
Before his speech, Joyce sat in the chamber in his normal seat with the Coalition. On the next seat, independents Monique Ryan and Sophie Scamps called out to Joyce, tapping the seats behind them and motioning for him to join them over on the crossbench.
“It’s lovely over here,” Ryan said, laughing.
Joyce left the chamber immediately after his speech, holding a brief press conference where he said he was still considering his next steps. He said he had sought to mend a fractured relationship with the Nationals leadership, but felt he had to leave.
“It’s the right of the party to pick their leaders, and you’ve got to respect that. And if you can’t have an effective working relationship, find a more effective way to do your job,” he said.
Earlier, colleague Michael McCormack said the former deputy prime minister should “reflect on what the National party gave him”.
McCormack, Joyce’s one-time leadership rival, had said he would be disappointed if the New England MP left the party, and revealed he had made a major last-ditch appeal for him to remain in the tent.
“I spent an hour with him yesterday. I’ve given him my pitch. He knows my feelings,” McCormack said.
“We get on well, and I just hope that he really reflects on what the National party gave him, the rare honour of being the deputy prime minister, and let’s see what happens.”
after newsletter promotion
McCormack said Joyce had done “great things for regional Australia and many, many good things” during his time in parliament.
Asked what it would be like if Joyce appeared in One Nation’s orange colours instead, McCormack joked: “At least it wouldn’t be the teals.”
Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, speaking on Sky News, agreed Joyce had “done serious things and his legacy is significant”.
“That will be trashed if he goes to One Nation,” she said, labelling it a “protest party”.
Joyce had said in recent days he expected to have more to say about his political future by the end of this week. One Nation’s Pauline Hanson and Nationals leader David Littleproud had declined to comment.
Several Nationals sources appeared resigned to Joyce leaving the party. Some said they would be glad to draw a line under the long-running political saga, after weeks of speculation and the public courting between Joyce and Hanson, including their sandwich press steak dinner on Monday.
Some Nationals will be relieved to see Joyce go, but others believed his defection would be a big blow to the Nationals’ hopes of retaining regional seats against a rising One Nation vote.
On Sky News, Nationals senator Matt Canavan – Joyce’s friend and former chief of staff – claimed on Tuesday the saga had dragged on “longer than Days of Our Lives” and said people were “sick and tired of it”.
