“I’m getting out!” The maverick MP has quit the Nats, but his future is undecided. Photo: Barnaby Joyce.
Former Nationals leader and one-time deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce has quit his party, saying he has been left with no other choice but to turn his back on his Coalition colleagues.
The maverick Member for New England used what was to be the final sitting day of the House of Representatives on Thursday (27 November) to announce his move, which has been anticipated for some weeks.
“After 30 years with the National Party, I’m resigning from the party and that really leaves me with a heavy heart,” he said in the chamber shortly before Question Time.
“I apologise for all the hurt that that will cause other people,” Joyce says.
Mr Joyce later said he had been pushed to quit the party and referenced the breakdown in the relationship with Nationals leader David Littleproud.
“In any relationship, when it breaks down, you get to a point when you get to bitter recrimination or you get out of it, and I think that’s what I’m doing today, I’m getting out of it,” he said.
“After 30 years in the National Party it’s certainly not a decision I took lightly.”
But while one of parliament’s most colourful characters says he won’t be re-contesting his Lower House seat at the next federal election, he might have a tilt at the Senate where he began his federal political career.
He said he would sit as an independent in the House of Representatives until the next election while he considers running for the Senate, although he hasn’t decided yet if it will be as a member of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.
He noted, however, that there are more One Nation members in Tamworth, the largest locality of his electorate, than there are members of the Nationals.
“I will serve out my term to the best of my abilities and that’s what I’m going to do,” Mr Joyce said.
“I think [there is] the appeal also of the Senate, of just reviewing and amending legislation, and you would have to come to me on each legislation.
“I’ve done the Senate before.”
Mr Joyce entered Federal Parliament in 2005 as a Senator for Queensland and made a successful move to the Lower House in 2013.
Mr Littleproud issued a statement following Mr Joyce’s announcement on Thursday, describing it as a “disappointing” decision.
“It breaks the contract he made with the people of New England at the 2025 federal election,” the Nationals leader said.
“It is disappointing for the people of New England and disappointing for the loyal National Party members who tirelessly volunteered over the past two decades to support his political ambitions.
“The Nationals supported Barnaby through the tough times, including during his darkest moments.
“The original conversation I had with Barnaby was to encourage him to stay in our party room and that I believed he could continue to make a contribution to our party room.
“Barnaby made it clear to me he wanted time and space to consider his future and asked me to respect that.
“I respected that request but made sure my public statements reflected my desire for him to stay.”
The move allowed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to use the last Question Time of the year to mock the Coalition over its continued infighting and the fact Mr Joyce had left the chamber to hold a press conference rather than sit in Question Time.
By Friday morning, however, Nationals Senator Matt Canavan was trying to downplay Mr Joyce’s decision to leave the party and expressed hope he could be encouraged to rejoin the fold.
“It is not the tragedy a lot of us feared,” Senator Canavan said during a morning interview on Channel Nine.
“I mean, he could be the ultimate prodigal son. He’s still on the transfer market. I mean, nothing really has changed.
“He hasn’t signed up to a contract with a new team. So to my mind, he’s a free agent and I’d still like to have him on our team.”
Although MPs in the House of Representatives said their goodbyes on Thursday – and Mr Albanese and Opposition Leader Sussan Ley delivered their Christmas wishes and year’s end thank you speeches – parliament returns for one last session Friday morning.
The House of Reps needs to give the final nod to the government’s environmental protection laws after passing the Senate.
