Mallee MP Andrew Broad attend a meeting to plot against party leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce, according to a senior Nationals MP.
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Mr Joyce has been fighting off claims that he misused taxpayer funds to support his partner and former staff member after their affair broke up Mr Joyce’s marriage of 24 years.
After a fortnight of intense coverage, the government’s standing in the polls has started to slide.
Riverina MP and Veterans’ Affairs Minister Michael McCormack told Sky News on Monday that he had not met with Mr Broad and Hinkler MP Keith Pitt to discuss removing Mr Joyce as leader.
“There has been a lot of reporting about so called meetings in ministerial offices between the Member for Hinkler, the Member for Mallee and myself,” Mr McCormack said.
“No such meetings have taken place, in fact the Member for Mallee visited my office last week to talk about a Veterans Affair matter and a regional affair matter...no such discussion about Barnaby Joyce has taken place in my office.”
The Sunday Telegraph reported that during a ‘war game’ for a leadership challenge, “plotters including Andrew Broad, Keith Pitt and Mr McCormack held secret meetings in the ministerial wing of Parliament House” on Tuesday.
It was also reported that Nationals MPs were using the smartphone messaging service WhatsApp to discuss Mr Joyce’s future.
Political reporters from BuzzFeed and the Sunday Telegraph posted on social media that Mr Broad’s use of WhatsApp accidentally interrupted an ‘Our Watch’ event for the prevention of family violence on Tuesday night.
“Turns out Broad was scrolling through the Nat MPs WhatsApp thread about Joyce's future when he clicked on the Sky News video and couldn't figure out how to turn it off,” BuzzFeed’s Alice Workman posted on Twitter.
Mr Broad last week defended Mr Joyce after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull attacked the National Party leader’s conduct and judgement.
“Barnaby has never said at any point that he’s a saint,” Mr Broad said.
Speaking on ABC radio, Mr Broad said the National Party would not be pushed into making a decision by Mr Turnbull over their leadership positions in the wake of Mr Joyce’s extramarital affair with a former staff member.
Mr Broad agreed with assertions that Mr Joyce had made “many mistakes” this week in handling the revelations about his personal life and that the scandal had “destroyed” the government’s attempts to communicate its policies.
Mr Broad said it was a “fair assessment” that he would reconsider his support for Mr Joyce if it could be shown that he abused his position or misused taxpayer funds.
On Thursday afternoon, Mr Turnbull used a televised press conference to accuse Mr Joyce of a “shocking error of judgement”.
Mr Turnbull also announced changes to ministerial standards that would ban any sexual relationship between a minister and a staff member, whether the minister was married or single.
Mr Joyce himself hit back on late Friday morning with his own televised remarks, vowing not to resign of his own accord and labeling Mr Turnbull’s comments as “inept” and “unnecessary”.
“I have to say that because I listened to it and I thought that was completely unnecessary and all that is going to do is basically pull the scab off to everybody to have a look at.”
Labor opposition leader Bill Shorten Mr Turnbull and Mr Joyce were "at war with each other” and either man was fit for high office at the top of government.