Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has done his best disappointed dad impression in responding to the antics of former deputy PM and former leader of the National Party Barnaby Joyce this week.
In case you missed it, Joyce was spotted lying on a footpath in Canberra in the middle of the night mumbling on his phone. Classic Barnaby. The news was shocking, but somehow still highly unsurprising for followers of Australian federal politics.
In an interview with Perth’s 6PR radio, the PM took the opportunity to lightly pan-fry (we wouldn’t call it a full roast) his political rival.
“That’s a matter for Barnaby Joyce to explain,” Albanese told the station.
“I think that’s a matter for him I don’t intend to comment on what is clearly difficult circumstances for Barnaby Joyce.”
Then, when asked if he’d ever found himself sprawled out on the ground in the middle of Australia’s capital city, Albo declared, “not in that position”.
It’s no Comedy Central Roast Battle gear but it’ll do.
To catch you up to speed on the details, the initial incident happened on a cool Wednesday evening in the Australian Capital Territory’s northern suburb of Braddon, where during the late hours of the night not a soul could be found walking about.
However, one soul could be found lying down on the pavement, rambling nonsensically on his phone.
It was the very same soul who last year admitted he thinks the assassination of John F Kennedy has more to it. The same individual who also confessed to watching the wrong Matildas game in a pub when the nation was caught up in Tilly-fever.
None other than member for New England, Barnaby Joyce.
if i lay here
— ruby innes (@rubyinnes) February 9, 2024
if i just lay here
would you lie with me
and just forget the world pic.twitter.com/Qh7rUtlIXr
Sources say that Joyce was sitting on a pot plant in the street, where he was having a lively phone conversation.
According to the exclusive Daily Mail article, Joyce fell off his pot plant throne, then rolled over and continued his conversation.
You can peep the video on their article here.
Though most of the conversation in the footage shared by Daily Mail was unintelligible, the swearing was pretty easy to make out.
Former Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce denies being too drunk while lying on a Braddon sidewalk, “that is the most sober I have ever been while in Canberra” pic.twitter.com/yh2TsMDbqf
— The Chaser (@chaser) February 9, 2024
At one point whilst with his back to the concrete, feet in the air, and eyes to the stars, Joyce uttered: “Dead fucking cunt.”
While explaining the awkward public appearance to Nine News, Joyce shared his regrets at staying on the ground.
“If I had known someone was there with a camera, I would have got up quicker,” Joyce stated to Nine News.
As a result of the somewhat humorous incident where a respected elected official of Australia is found in a precarious public situation, there have been plenty of memes shared around social media about Joyce.
On a scale of 0 to “dead fucking cunt”, how drunk would you say you are Sir? https://t.co/wh7aBINuhX
— Possum Comitatus (@Pollytics) February 9, 2024
Though Joyce may have appeared to be “drunk” as the above memes imply, it is not known whether he was intoxicated or not.
Joyce’s new wife, Vikki Campion, whom sources close to the two have shared that he was most likely on the phone to, shared that her husband was not referring to her when he said “dead fucking cunt”, but was more likely making fun of himself.
Joyce stated that after the event, he got up and walked home.
