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Barnaby Joyce, a former deputy prime minister and longtime rural conservative leader, joined Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party on Monday, marking a significant realignment in Australian politics and dealing a major blow to the National Party.
Joyce, 58, confirmed the defection in a radio interview, weeks after resigning from the Nationals over policy disputes with party leadership. He becomes One Nation’s sole representative in the lower house and will lead the party’s New South Wales Senate ticket in the 2028 federal election.
“Pauline made an offer to me to come to One Nation, and I have taken that up,” Joyce told Tamworth Radio on Monday morning. “Now I’m really going to focus back on the Australian people.”
The move caps months of speculation and completes a dramatic fall for Joyce, who served as deputy prime minister from 2016 to 2018 and led the National Party during that period. He had represented the New England electorate since 2013.
Hanson welcomed Joyce in a statement, saying she valued his “experience, advice and determination to get a fair go for farmers and regional Australia.” The defection comes as One Nation polls at 15 percent nationally, trailing the Coalition by nine points and emerging as the party most trusted by voters on immigration issues.
Joyce faced warnings from colleagues before the switch. Nationals Senate Leader Bridget McKenzie cautioned that his reputation would be “shattered” by joining One Nation, while former Senator John Williams said their 20-year friendship would end over the decision.
The National Party has not yet issued an official response to Joyce’s departure.
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