Barnaby Joyce has been sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister and the Leader of the Nationals Party after a leadership spill within the party.
Barnaby Joyce returned from the backbench after Senator Matt Canavan moved the spill motion. The motion resulted in the ousting of MP Michael McCormack. Mr Joyce held both positions in 2016 and resigned in 2018, after it was revealed he was having an extramarital affair with a former staffer.
Governor-General David Hurley swore in Mr Joyce as the new Deputy PM and Leader of the Nationals Party earlier this morning in Government House in Canberra. The swearing in ceremony was attended by his wife Vikki Campion and his two sons. Deputy Leader of the Nationals Party David Littleproud and Nationals Senate Leader Bridget McKenzie also attended, amongst other colleagues.
Prime Minister Scott Morrisson who is quarantining in The Lodge, after returning from the G7 Summit in England, also attended the ceremony via video call. Mr Joyce was sworn into the Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development portfolio, which Mr McCormack originally held.
After taking the oath of office and signing official documents, Mr Morrisson concluded the ceremony by saying to Mr Joyce that he is “looking forward to working with each other.”
“Thank you very much Prime Minister, the same,” said Mr Joyce. He then joined the Prime Minister and Governor-General in a photo.
Mr Joyce’s return to his roles in the Coalition is expected to cause another cabinet reshuffle. It will also see a new agreement between the Liberal Party and Nationals. This is something that will potentially cause issues within the Coalition, with disagreements on issues such as mining and net zero emissions.
Barnaby Joyce draws fire from Opposition
On the other side of the room, members of the Opposition have grilled the new Deputy PM in his first Question Time, with the Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese referencing his infamous rant in late 2019. Mr Joyce videotaped and shared the video on his personal Twitter account.
Other Labor MPs have also questioned Mr Joyce on his climate change stance, amongst other controversies surrounding the returning Deputy PM. Prior to Question Time, Mr Albanese spoke to the ABC’s News Breakfast program on Mr Joyce’s return to the frontbench. Mr Albanese criticised both the Coalition and the Nationals for “self-indulgent” and “focusing on themselves” rather than focusing on the COVID vaccination rollout and issues with hotel quarantine.
No confirmation yet on whether Mr McCormack will be placed in the backbench.