Barnaby Joyce has said he will quit the National Party if his party members declare they have lost faith in him.
The former Nationals leader told 7 News that he will resign from the party and sit on the crossbench as an independent to ruin Scott Morrison’s one-seat majority in federal parliament if at least four members of the state Nationals make public statements saying they no longer support him.
The statement came after fellow members of the NSW Nationals reportedly discussed the idea of expelling Joyce over his involvement in the campaign against changes to abortion laws.
“I am not going to deal with another whisper campaign,” Joyce told The New Daily.
“Come out and say in public that you want me out. I believe I am entitled to that.”
While many of the Nationals in the state parliament support taking abortion out of the criminal code, Joyce has continued to make his anti-abortion stance known. Earlier this week, Joyce gave a speech at an anti-abortion rally outside parliament, claiming the Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill “is not a reflection of a civilised society”.
After reports emerged that his colleagues explored the idea of ousting him over his ongoing campaign against the bill, Joyce told 7 News, “Let’s get out from behind the shrubs and say it publicly … If we can get four [party members] at a press conference to say so, then I will resign.”
As a federal MP, Joyce could not vote on the NSW bill.
Earlier this week, premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters, “The NSW parliament is for NSW parliamentarians to get views from their communities, to look at their own consciences and vote accordingly.
“This is an issue for NSW MPs.”
Joyce’s youngest daughter has also slammed her father’s stance on abortion, with the teenager sharing an article titled “Barnaby Joyce leads Sydney anti-abortion protest” on Instagram and adding her comment: “Once again, I do not support you.”
