Maverick MP Barnaby Joyce has created another storm in his long political career after announcing his resignation from the Nationals, prompting questions about his next move.
RURAL ROOTS
* Mr Joyce, 58, was one of six children born in Tamworth and raised on a sheep and cattle farm in rural NSW’s New England district
* He graduated with a Bachelor of Financial Administration from the University of New England in 1989 where he met his wife Natalie, with whom he had four children
* Employed as a farm worker, nightclub bouncer and banker before setting up accountancy firm Barnaby Joyce & Co in Queensland in 1999
POLITICAL CAREER
* Elected as a National Party senator for Queensland in 2004
* Crossed the floor 28 times and was quickly branded a “maverick” for refusing to guarantee support for his own government’s policies
* He stopped crossing the floor when he became a minister and was duty-bound to side with the government
* He resigned from the Senate before the 2013 election and contested the lower house seat of New England, which he won, and gained the agriculture ministry and leadership of the Nationals
* The High Court ruled Joyce was ineligible to sit in parliament in 2016 after it was revealed he was a dual citizen of New Zealand, triggering a by-election
* He won back his seat in 2017 after surrendering his New Zealand citizenship
SCANDALS
* The day after he returned to parliament, Joyce confirmed long-running rumours his marriage with Natalie had ended
* Months later, it was revealed Mr Joyce was expecting a baby with former staffer Vikki Campion
* He confirmed Ms Campion as his partner but denied she was working in his office or he breached the ministerial code of conduct forbidding frontbenchers employing relatives or partners without approval
* Frustrated with Mr Joyce’s handling of his personal and political life, then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull issued a “bonk ban” on ministers to prevent relationships with their advisers
* Mr Joyce resigned as leader of the Nationals in February 2018 amid calls for him to quit
* He returned as leader in 2021 after defeating Michael McCormack in a leadership spill, but lost to David Littleproud during a challenge in 2022
* In February 2024 footage emerged of Mr Joyce swearing and mumbling into his phone while lying on his back in a Canberra street
* He later explained he mixed prescription medication and alcohol
* He faced calls to resign as opposition veterans’ affairs spokesman after he compared ballot papers to bullets at a protest against wind farms in July 2024
* Mr Joyce announced in October he would not contest his New England seat at the next election
* The announcement prompted speculation he would jump ship to One Nation, and was later seen dining with party leader Pauline Hanson in her office over steaks
* On Thursday, Mr Joyce announced he was resigning from the Nationals after 30 years, but did not indicate whether he would join One Nation
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