‘Hypocrite’ Barnaby Joyce pleads for privacy despite ‘$150k interview’

Barnaby Joyce has been making headlines over the last few months thanks to his high-profile affair with his former staffer Vikki Campion, before they welcomed a baby together just months ago.

But as it’s claimed he’s lined up a pricey tell-all interview with Channel Seven, the Daily Telegraph reports he and his new partner have now filed a complaint against the media, for allegedly invading their privacy. It’s prompted many, including TV presenter Lisa Wilkinson, to brand the former deputy prime minister a “hypocrite”.

Campion is said to have complained to the Australian Press Council for an alleged breach of privacy by the Daily Telegraph during her pregnancy, the publication itself reports. The news outlet plans to defend the complaint.

It comes amid reports in The Weekend Australian that Joyce, who sensationally quit as leader of the National Party and as deputy prime minister amid the furore over his affair with Campion, had agreed to a tell-all interview, which is due to be run on Seven’s Sunday Night program.

The Weekend Australian claimed that Seven had paid $150,000 for the exclusive, outbidding Channel Nine’s 60 Minutes program, and that the interview would be conducted by Sunday Night reporter Alex Cullen.

Read more: Baby bonus! Barnaby Joyce reportedly lines up pricey Seven interview

Starts at 60 was unable to independently confirm that this was the case, but has requested comments from Channel Seven and from Joyce’s office. The story appeared to have been confirmed, however, by media industry site Mumbrella. 

Now the politician has been slammed by other pollies and social media users, with some claiming it’s hypocritical to sign such a pricey interview, while pleading for personal privacy.

Writing in her Ten Daily column, TV star Lisa Wilkinson hit out at the timing, and wrote: “He can’t maintain that all he wants now is to focus on seeing the Government win the next election — and then re-open one of the most personally icky, politically and morally hypocritical, troublesome and damaging episodes in the life of the Turnbull era.”

She added: “He cannot, in short, indulge in this level of sheer, jaw-dropping hypocrisy on so many levels at once, and expect to be seen as doing anything other than nakedly cashing in on a desperately unhappy story, with no regard for the impact it makes on anyone (least of all his own family), or anything other than his own bank account.”

Meanwhile, a Coalition backbencher told the Mail Online: “To seek privacy and then on the other hand to seek an interview deal seems to reek of hypocrisy, doesn’t it.”

One social media user wrote of the interview claims: “So, let me get this straight. Barnaby Joyce was rewarded with a $150k media interview after cheating on his wife with his ex-staffer? So, he’s profiting from a scandal of his causing while also earning a massive salary as an MP? This is so far from acceptable, I have no words,” while another added: “Oh! It turns out Barnaby Joyce is putting the TV tell-all money in a trust for the baby. That’s alright then. That $150K can pay for the poor kid’s future therapy, from being dragged through the public spotlight by his ghoulish father.”

Joyce saw his income take a dramatic downturn after moving to the backbench in February in an attempt to dampen the furore over his relationship with Campion, who had worked as his media advisor, and while he fought a sexual harassment complaint that was made public by the Western Australian branch of the Nationals. (As deputy PM, Joyce received a base salary of more than $400,000, while as a backbencher he receives about $200,000 a year.)

Joyce had revealed in December that he had separated from Natalie, his wife of 20 years and the mother of his four daughters. But by then, speculation had reportedly been swirling in Canberra for months that Joyce’s marital split was related to a lengthy affair he’d been conducing with Campion. The tryst hit the headlines in early February, however, when the Daily Telegraph published a picture of a very pregnant Campion and claimed that Joyce was the father of her child.

Do you think it’s fair that Joyce is accepting such a pricey deal, while complaining that his privacy is being breached?