Barnaby Joyce is Australia’s deputy prime minister for a second time after he was selected as leader of the Nationals, the junior partner in Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s coalition government.
The high-profile Joyce, 54, was elected leader of the rural-based party during a meeting of its federal lawmakers in Canberra on Monday. He defeated Michael McCormack, 56, a former journalist and businessman who failed to put his stamp on the leadership after three years on the job.
The upheaval likely won’t be welcomed by Morrison, who leads the coalition’s senior party, the Liberals, and needs to call an election by May, with most voter polls showing his government is deadlocked with the main Labor opposition.
The leadership change in the Nationals is likely to trigger a rejig of some Cabinet portfolio positions. It could also complicate Morrison’s climate change policy, with fossil-fuel supporting Joyce unlikely to support any moves to commit to a net-zero emissions target date.
Joyce led the Nationals for two years until February 2018 when he stepped down after it was revealed he had an extramarital affair with a former aide. After the story broke that he was expecting a baby with his new partner, ending his 24-year marriage, then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull accused Joyce of making a “shocking error of judgment.”
Since he entered parliament in 2004, Joyce has garnered media headlines for his blunt and often contentious views on issues including water management, foreign investment and the need for actor Johnny Depp to comply with Australia’s quarantine laws. He briefly cost the government its lower house majority last year after discovering he was also a citizen of New Zealand, contravening the constitution.
