Peter Dutton criticises people for not supporting Barnaby Joyce on Canberra footpath

February 12, 2024 Keed

Key Points

Barnaby Joyce was filmed while lying on a Canberra footpath on Wednesday night.
Liberal leader Peter Dutton says he will speak with the Nationals MP.
Senator Lidia Thorpe has criticised the “double standards”, comparing her treatment last year.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton says he will speak with Barnaby Joyce after footage of the Nationals MP laying on a Canberra footpath raised questions.

Video taken by a passer-by, capturing Joyce lying on a footpath in the suburb of Braddon while speaking into his phone, emerged on Friday.

The former deputy prime minister admitted feeling “embarrassed” by the Wednesday night incident, which he claims captured him after he fell off a planter box and continued an animated chat with wife Vikki Campion.

On Sunday, 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.

A man lies on his back on a footpath, next to a planter box, with a phone held to his right ear.

Vikki Campion has corroborated Joyce’s story, saying she was on the phone to her husband. Credit: Nine news

“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.”

He said any decision around whether Joyce should keep his veterans’ affairs shadow portfolio would lie with Nationals leader David Littleproud.

Littleproud has reportedly spoken with Joyce directly about the incident.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was up to Joyce to explain the circumstances.

“People will certainly make their own judgements on that,” he said.

“People will see that footage, they will look for an explanation that has some credibility and they’ll look for leadership from the leader of the Liberal Party and the leader of the Nationals Party about this.”

His comments follow criticism from Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe, who accused Albanese and broader parliament of fostering a “private school boys club”.

Thorpe accuses Albanese of ‘double standards’

Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe has drawn comparisons of the incident to the backlash she faced when a video of her at a Melbourne strip club emerged last year.

An Aboriginal woman wearing a black top and black and white earrings that read "sovereignty never ceded"

Then-Greens Senator Thorpe was criticised for an expletive-laden rant which included referring to the men’s “small penis”. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

Following the incident, she faced criticism from several MPs, including the prime minister, who labelled it “unacceptable”, saying it needed to be dealt with for health and suggesting the senator “get support”.

Thorpe said the difference in language was an example of “double standards” that women face in Australian politics.

“Parliament is still a private school boys club, and this is the latest example of the double standards we see from men in power,” she told News Corp.

Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor warned against people “jumping to conclusions”.

“I think the primary issue for us is Barnaby’s welfare and we will remain focused on that,” he said.

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