Former deputy PM and Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has weathered more than his share of headlines in recent years, but the most recent – after footage of him sprawled on the footpath in Canberra’s entertainment precinct – have tested even him.
Speaking on 7News yesterday, he admitted that his earlier version of event – that he fell off a planter box – was not entirely correct and that “mixed prescription drugs and alcohol” were to blame.
“Look, obviously, I made a big mistake,” he said. “There’s no excuse for it.
“There is a reason, and it was a very eventful walk home wasn’t it. I’m on a prescription drug, and they say certain things may happen to you if you drink, and they were absolutely 100 per cent right.
“I’m not looking for sympathy, I’m not looking for an excuse. I came back, I sat on a planter box, I fell off and I was videotaped. There you go. What else can you say?”
Mr Joyce refused to be drawn on whether he should be reprimanded.
The person who took the video has been widely criticised for not helping the politician.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said: “I know that people will have their fun with it, but from a personal point of view, I don’t like to see anyone in that state. I find it a little disturbing.”
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