Holy shit you guys. This is it. By tonight, Australia will have a 17th Deputy Prime Minister, and that Deputy Prime Minister will be Barnaby Joyce.
He’s been tipped to win ever since outgoing Deputy PM and Nationals leader Warren Truss announced yesterday he’d be retiring this year.
BREAKING: No contest for Nats leadership job tonight. We understand from president, Larry Anthony that @Barnaby_Joyce is the sole contender
— lucy barbour (@lucybarbour) February 11, 2016
The Nationals are voting on both a new Leader and a new Deputy Leader tonight, with Darren Chester, Mark Coulton, David Gillespie, Luke Hartsuyker, Michael McCormack, Fiona Nash and Keith Pitt the likely contenders to throw their hats into the ring.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is reported to be reshuffling his frontbench this weekend, after a phenomenal number of them retired, stood-down, or backbenched themselves in disgrace.
#Auspol. Never a dull moment, if albeit a number of face-palming ones.
imagine explaining to anyone international that the guy who threatened to murder johnny depp’s dogs got a promotion.
— colley2k16 (@JamColley) February 10, 2016
UPDATE, 9:18pm 11/2/16: It happened. Old mate dog-killer Barnaby Joyce became the leader of the Nationals tonight, and is set to be sworn in as the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia. He beat absolutely no one to the post.
