Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has apologised for calling Prime Minister Scott Morrison a “hypocrite and a liar” in a leaked text message. But he said Australians cared more about geopolitical tensions, the pandemic, and infringements on religious freedom than the “intrigues of Canberra” which consumed news media reporting in the country this week.
Speaking to reporters in Sydney on Feb. 5, Joyce took full accountability for the texts while suggesting the media and political class cared more about the texts than the general public, who are more concerned about Russia and China.
“The Australian people ... have no real interest in some of the intrigues of Canberra to the extent that we’re interested in them. What they’re interested in is their future,” Joyce said.
Joyce said Australians more concerned about the defence of the country, the pandemic, and how certain pandemic response measures have infringed on religious freedom.
“People in a suburb of Perth are concerned about why police went into St. Bernadette’s church to close down a service. People want you to build things, they want you to make the nation stronger, and they want you to get back to your job. And that’s precisely what I intend to do,” he said.
Resignation Offer Denied
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has refused Joyce’s offer to resign after he admitted to sending the leaked texts dated March last year.Joyce sent the text when he was a backbencher in the Liberal-Nationals coalition government. Now the leader of the Nationals after ousting Michael McCormack, Joyce said he should “never have written” the texts, citing his now closer working relationship with Morrison for a change of heart.
“From a one-on-one working relationship, I found a man who has honoured every agreement that he’s made with me and who I have noted has honoured every agreement that he’s made with others from both sides of the political fence.”
The deputy PM said that while he never expected the texts to end up in the public realm, the fault was squarely his for writing them.
The texts were sent around the time that former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins came forward with allegations that she was raped in a minister’s officer at Parliament House in Canberra in 2019.
Joyce sent the texts, which were published by Nine, to a third party who later passed them on to Higgins.
“Tell BH (Brittany Higgins) I and Scott, he is Scott to me until I have to recognise his office, don’t get along,” a screenshot of the text reads.
“He is a hypocrite and a liar from my observations and that is over a long time. I have never trusted him and I dislike how he earnestly rearranges the truth to a lie.”
Joyce said he immediately called Morrison to apologise when he was made aware the texts were circulating among third parties this week.
“He accepted my apology. I offered my resignation and he did not accept my resignation,” he said. “That in itself is a statement of a person of greater character. That is not one of a person of any form of vindictiveness, or pique, or a sense of retribution.”
Joyce admits the text message is damaging to Morrison but does not believe it will dent the coalition’s chances of winning a fourth term in government, with a federal election due by May.
In a statement, Morrison said he accepted Joyce was in a “different headspace” last year and he believes the deputy PM “genuinely no longer feels this way.”
The prime minister added relationships “change over time,” “politicians are humans beings too” and “none of us are perfect.”
“Since coming to the role of DPM (deputy prime minister), it is fair to say that we both positively surprised each other. We were never close before this and never pretended to be,” Morrison said.
