Barnaby Joyce Will Be Paid $150K For A Channel 7 Interview With His Partner And Bub
In February he told media to "move on".
Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce will be joined on screen by partner Vikki Campion and new bub Sebastian Joyce in an interview with Channel 7 that will reportedly cost the broadcaster $150,000.
Joyce — who was also deputy PM — stepped down as leader of the National Party after it was revealed that he had separated with his wife, and was expecting a child with former staffer Campion.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the whole $150,000 will be placed in a trust fund for baby Sebastian. The high interview cost came after Channel 7’s Sunday Night beat out Channel 9’s 60 Minutes in a bidding contest.
In response to news that the interview would go ahead, some are questioning the ethics of the move.
Co-host of The Project Hamish Macdonald questioned why both the Channel 7 and Joyce were participating in the interview.
Why is an elected politician accepting payment for doing an interview?
And why are journalists paying our politicians to talk?
— Hamish Macdonald (@hamishNews) May 26, 2018
Unconvincing.
Its one thing for a politician to get paid to write a book after leaving politics, another thing altogether for them to participate in a paid interview whilst being already paid by the tax payer to represent constituents. Particularly, having asked for privacy. https://t.co/TyVRT7qcR1
— Hamish Macdonald (@hamishNews) May 26, 2018
Joyce repeatedly asked for privacy when details of his new relationship were revealed. In one free interview earlier in the year, he called the Daily Telegraph’s initial exposè an “outrageous” breach of privacy. In another interview, also unpaid, Joyce said it was time for the media to “move on“.
ABC radio host Wendy Harmer questioned how this would impact Joyce’s former wife and their four daughters.
How hurtful this must be for his wife Natalie Joyce and their four daughters.
*Insensitive* hardly covers it. https://t.co/x98olRVRnJ— Wendy Harmer (@wendy_harmer) May 25, 2018
Others piled on:
Barnaby Joyce exploited taxpayers and damaged his Government with his sleazy affair and now sells story for personal gain. No morals #auspol
— Janine Perrett (@PerrettReport) May 26, 2018
I know a number of women who have remained silent for fear of retribution from political and business circles …watching Joyce profit from his philandering with all the pain and cost caused may encourage them to come forward and expose the real story. https://t.co/x1pT8mipKO
— Tony Windsor (@TonyHWindsor) May 26, 2018
Barnaby Joyce secures $150,000 payment for Channel 7 interview. This stinks to high heaven. Should pollies be paid for promo interviews while they’re still on the public purse? Donate it back to the taxpayer. #auspol
— Eddy Jokovich (@EddyJokovich) May 26, 2018
As a result of stepping down as Nationals leader and deputy PM, Joyce took a big pay cut: while he was paid more than $400,000 a year in his old job, as a backbencher he’s now paid around $200,000.
On Sky News this morning, human services minister Michael Keenan fielded questions about the lucrative interview, but didn’t want to distract from current government business:
“It’s not something that I’m going to run a commentary on. It was a distraction in the earlier part of the year and obviously we don’t want to revisit that, but this isn’t my focus, it isn’t the focus of the government,” he said.