Barnaby Joyce

Biography

Barnaby Joyce is a former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and a current member of the Australian Parliament. Born on April 17, 1967, in Tamworth, New South Wales, Joyce grew up in a farming family and went on to pursue a career in politics.

Joyce was first elected to the Senate in 2004 as a member of the National Party of Australia, and in 2005 he became the party’s leader in the Senate. In 2013, he resigned from the Senate to contest a seat in the House of Representatives, and was successful in being elected to the seat of New England. He served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia from February 2016 until February 2018.

In late 2017, Joyce announced that he had separated from his wife, and in February 2018 it was revealed that he was expecting a child with his former staffer, Vikki Campion. This caused controversy, with some calling for his resignation, and an investigation was launched into whether he had breached the ministerial code of conduct. In February 2018, Joyce resigned as leader of the National Party and as Deputy Prime Minister, but he continued to serve in Parliament.

Joyce’s political positions include opposition to abortion, opposition to same-sex marriage, support for a national debate on capital punishment, and support for increased refugee intake. He has also advocated for changes to parliamentary rules to allow senators and MPs to hire their spouses or partners and relatives. In June 2021, Joyce was re-elected as the leader of the National Party, and he served in this role until May 2022, when he was defeated in a leadership spill.