"Eventful walk home": Barnaby Joyce explains why he was found collapsed on footpath
Barnaby Joyce, the Nationals frontbencher, has recently found himself at the centre of public attention after a video surfaced showing him lying on a footpath in Canberra, seemingly in an inebriated state.
In a statement to Seven's Sunrise on Monday morning, Joyce attributed the incident to mixing alcohol with prescription medication.
“It was a very eventful walk home, wasn’t it,” he said to host Nat Barr. "I’m on a prescription drug, and they say certain things may happen to you if you drink, and they were absolutely 100 per cent right. They did.”
Barr then replied: “So you mixed alcohol with prescription medication, did you, and this is what happened?”
“That’s exactly what I said, yep,” Joyce responded.
In the video footage captured on Lonsdale Street in Braddon, initially obtained by The Daily Mail, Joyce can be seen lying on his back, mumbling into his phone, prompting concerns from passersby.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged Joyce to provide a credible explanation. “People will certainly make their own judgements on that," Albanese told the ABC. "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 National Party about this.”
Treasurer Jim Chalmers expressed concern for Joyce's wellbeing, calling for an explanation while refraining from personal attacks.
The incident has prompted discussions within political circles, with Nationals leader David Littleproud stating that Joyce would receive the necessary support. However, Joyce's decision to skip a party meeting where the incident was to be discussed indicates ongoing uncertainty surrounding the situation.
Images: Sunrise / Seven