Barnaby Joyce reveals his separation in Parliament.
Barnaby Joyce is being slammed for comments suggesting he may not be the father of the baby boy he is expecting with partner Vikki Campion.
The National MP and former deputy prime minister said he would raise the baby as his own but is not sure he is the biologicalfather as it is a "grey area", reports Fairfax.
Joyce's comments have sparked criticism on social media, including from his New England rival Tony Windsor, who tweeted: "If anyone had doubts about Joyce's character I think they now have a clear picture of this grub, will sacrifice others on his blundering self centred path. How many more women does he have to damage?"
Joyce claims he was not asked whether the child was his before Campion's pregnancy was revealed to the Australian public on the front cover of The Daily Telegraph, eventually resulting in his resignation from Cabinet.
However, the original author of the article Sharri Markson tweeted an email that showed the paper did ask him this before publishing the story, reports News.com.au.
The 50-year-old said he was physically apart from Ms Campion, 33, for most of the period when the baby would have been conceived.
It is believed Campion became pregnant around July or August of last year, a time when she was transferred from Resource Minister Matt Canavan's office into a newly created social media adviser role for Nationals MP Damian Dunn.
She did however return to Joyce's office for a number of weeks around the time of this transition.
Here's the email where, contrary to his quotes in Fairfax, I directly ask Barnaby Joyce, before publication, if the baby is his and ask him to confirm he had already told his wife and daughters. We published the story when we were satisfied he was treating the unborn as his own. pic.twitter.com/sKNBjCaqKP
Joyce's comments on the child's paternity and his relationship with Campion, have agitated a lot of Twitter users, with some questioning why he initially admitted to fathering the child, what he was thinking when he made these comments and suggesting he may be throwing Campion under the bus.
If anyone had doubts about Joyce's character I think they now have a clear picture of this grub , will sacrifice others on his blundering self centred path . How many more women does he have to damage ?
For someone who wants privacy, this is a pretty weird way to go about it. And one wonders if he ran this story past the other party involved. Super weird.
Joyce confirmed in December last year that he had separated from his wife after winning a by-election in his seat of New England, brought on when he realised he was a dual citizen.
His relationship with Campion, a former staffer in his office was revealed in February and then sparked scrutiny of his travel expenses and also claims of past harassment.
After a tumultuous month for the beleaguered politician, Joyce announced his resignation in a dramatic press conference in Armidale, NSW.
The controversy resulted in a sex ban on ministers sleeping with staff and a feud with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. The affair has been publicly slammed by Turnbull who accused Joyce of making "a shocking error of judgment". Joyce hit back by calling the Liberal leader "inept".
Vikki Campion. Photo / News Corp Australia
Pressure had been mounting on Joyce ever since the affair with Campion was revealed. Campion, a former journalist, began working as a media adviser on Joyce's election campaign in May 2016.
