Barnaby Joyce has arrived back in Parliament after video emerged of the Nationals MP lying on a Canberra pavement talking loudly into his mobile phone.
Video published by Daily Mail Australia on Friday showed the shadow cabinet member, 56, on the ground in the inner suburb of Braddon after sitting on a planter box and falling off late last Wednesday night.
The former deputy prime minister could be heard muttering on the phone while flat on his back on the ground, including one outburst where he said, ‘dead f***ing c***’.
The video taken in Lonsdale Street, which has since gone viral, has led to questions about the former deputy prime minister’s fitness to sit on the opposition front bench.
Mr Joyce, arrived at parliament almost an hour after question time began on Monday, ahead of a Nationals party room meeting.
The Nationals MP said he admitted he had made a mistake.
‘Look, obviously I made a big mistake,’ Mr Joyce told Seven’s Sunrise program on Monday.
‘There’s no excuse for it.
‘There’s a reason … they say certain things happen to you if you drink (while on medication) and they were absolutely, 100 per cent, right.’
Nationals leader David Littleproud said Mr Joyce had matters he needed to work through but hoped he would return to work in the afternoon or later in the week – though the party’s meeting is planned for Monday.
‘This is something that he’s deeply embarrassed about,’ Mr Littleproud told Sky News.
‘He’s made that very clear that this isn’t normal behaviour that he undertakes and there are extenuating circumstances surrounding that and obviously, we will support him in making sure that, anything that he does need, he gets.’
Mr Littleproud had previously said he would talk to Mr Joyce about the conduct seen in the video, as well as his position on the opposition frontbench.
The government has called on the coalition to answer for Mr Joyce’s actions, with Finance Minister Katy Gallagher saying the situation was ‘incredibly sad’.