Barnaby Joyce new leader of Nationals after defeating Michael McCormack in spill - ABC News

Barnaby Joyce will return to the nation's second-highest office, marking a political comeback three years after losing the deputy prime ministership to scandal.

Key points:

• Mr Joyce beat Michael McCormack in what was believed to be a very close vote
• David Littleproud will continue as Deputy Leader
• Mr Joyce is expected to speak later this afternoon

Queensland Senator Matt Canavan moved a spill motion to bring on the leadership vote at a partyroom meeting this morning.

Sources have told the ABC Mr Joyce defeated Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack in a very close contest this morning after years of seeking a return to his party's leadership.

Mr Joyce launched a similar challenge in February last year, where he was unsuccessful.

He resigned as leader and deputy prime minister in 2018 after facing sustained pressure.

Mr Joyce was accused of sexual harassment — a claim he strenuously denied.

It had also emerged that he had an affair with a former staffer. That affair led to then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull introducing the so-called "bonk ban", which made it against the ministerial code of conduct to have sex with staff.

A National Party investigation into the sexual harassment allegation was unable to make a finding into the matter.

Asked what he would say to colleagues talking about a spill with Barnaby Joyce (left), Michael McCormack (right) said he would urge them to think of their constituents rather than themselves.(

ABC News: Matt Roberts

)

The position of Deputy Leader was not contested and David Littleproud will continue in that role.

Mr Joyce is expected to speak this afternoon but it is not clear when he will be sworn in as leader and deputy prime minister.

Nationals party whip Damian Drum confirmed the spill motion was moved during a partyroom meeting.

"Barnaby Joyce has been elected leader of the National Party at a federal level and will therefore be going through the various situations that he has to go through," he said.

When asked if his colleagues had betrayed him, Mr McCormack said, "That's democracy".

Earlier this morning, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was happy with Mr McCormack leadership and said the pair had a "wonderful partnership" and had provided stable leadership for Australia.

Littleproud switches vote to Joyce

Sources have told the ABC that Deputy Leader David Littleproud was among those who changed sides and voted for Mr Joyce.

In recent months, there had been speculation that Mr Joyce would make a move before the next federal election because two of his supporters, George Christensen and Ken O'Dowd, were due to retire, making the numbers tougher for him. 

The change means Mr Morrison will have to reshuffle part of his frontbench.

Mr Morrison is currently in quarantine in Canberra.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese took aim at the latest spill, criticising the Nationals for distracting from the vaccine rollout.

"Now instead of rolling out the vaccine to the Australian people, they just concentrated on rolling each other," he said.

"The rolling of Michael McCormack, a decent human being, by Barnaby Joyce, represents the sixth combination of prime minister and deputy prime Minister under the eight long years of this government."

Barnaby Joyce will once again be the leader of the Nationals.(

ABC News: Matt Roberts

)

There had been disquiet in the party about the Prime Minister's increasing support of a net zero by 2050 emissions target.

Mr Morrison has said he wants Australia to reach net zero "preferably" by 2050.

Critics of Mr McCormack had said he lacked cut-through and had not established enough of a brand differentiation to the Liberal Party.

There are 21 people in the National Party room, with 16 members in the House of Representatives, and five senators.

Mr Joyce secured at least 11 votes, but it is not clear who those votes came from.

The last leadership challenge was on the first sitting day of 2020, which was criticised for distracting from parliamentary tributes to the devastation left in the wake of the 2019/20 bushfires.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiYmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTA2LTIxL2Jhcm5hYnktam95Y2Utd2lucy1uYXRpb25hbHMtbGVhZGVyc2hpcC1jaGFsbGVuZ2UvMTAwMjMwMDYw0gEoaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEwMDIzMDA2MA?oc=5

2021-06-21 01:35:08Z
52781676046248

Bagikan Berita Ini