Key Points
- David Littleproud has encouraged Barnaby Joyce to take leave after footage showed him intoxicated at night.
- Joyce was filmed while lying on a Canberra footpath late at night last week.
- He issued a statement a day after the clip emerged, admitting to feeling "embarrassed" by the incident.
David Littleproud, leader of the National Party, urged Barnaby Joyce to go on leave after lying on a Canberra footpath late at night emerged last week.
A video published by the Daily Mail showed Joyce on the ground in the inner suburb of Braddon after sitting on a planter box and falling off.
The video has led to questions about the former deputy prime minister's fitness to sit on the Opposition front bench.
Nationals leader David Littleproud confirmed on Wednesday the member for New England had been asked to take leave.
"This wasn't normal behaviour and Barnaby's embarrassed himself and his family," he told Seven's Sunrise.
"He needs to make sure he addresses this and the best way, we believe, is for him to take a break to get himself sorted and then come back when he's done that.
"I've strongly encouraged him to take that leave ... and to give comfort and confidence to both myself and to Peter Dutton that he has addressed these issues."
Barnaby Joyce was filmed by a passer-by lying on a footpath in Canberra after a parliamentary sitting day. Credit: Nine News
"These are deeply personal circumstances that Barnaby needs to address and it's beyond the medication," Littleproud said.
"I don't want to overreach into people's lives — that's not my job — but my job is to create the environment, to know he is supported."
'A big mistake'
Joyce, 56, issued a statement on Saturday, a day after the clip emerged, admitting to feeling "embarrassed" by the incident.
On Monday, Joyce explained he is on prescription medication and was told "certain things may happen" if he mixed alcohol with it.
"I made a big mistake. There's no excuse for it. There is a reason. And it was a very eventful walk home, wasn't it?" he told the Seven Network's Sunrise program.
"I'm not looking for sympathy, and I'm not looking for an excuse. I sat on a planter box, I fell off, and I was videotaped."
Mixed reactions from members of the government
Returning to the parliament this week, Joyce arrived almost an hour after Question Time began on Monday, ahead of a Nationals party room meeting.
The government called on the Coalition to answer for Joyce's actions, with Finance Minister Katy Gallagher saying the situation was "incredibly sad".
"These things do nothing for the profession of politicians ... it confirms, in people's minds, the public's minds, negative association with politics, and I think that's a real shame," she told ABC radio.
"But personally, I hope he gets the help he needs because it's a very unusual position for someone of that age to be in."
Labor MP Tania Lawrence said the behaviour of the Nationals MP was embarrassing.
"We are examples to our community, young and old, we represent Australia to the international dignitaries and visitors we meet each week," she told parliament.
"We are under the spotlight, and we should act accordingly, and if we can't, then we must also be able to understand that there isn't a single member here who is irreplaceable."
Opposition leader Peter Dutton suggested onlookers should have helped the federal MP after he fell.
"It's pretty rough when people are walking past somebody who may be in need of support," the Liberal leader told Sky News Australia.
"I understand a chalk mark has been drawn on the footpath — it can only happen in Canberra where all those Greens and Labor staffers are."
Asked on Monday if he was angry someone filmed the incident rather than helping him, Joyce said "that's a question for them".
"To me, the Good Samaritan was the Indian taxi driver who pulled over as I was walking home and said 'Do you need a lift mate?', which I obviously did," he said.
