Former Nationals leaders has announced he’s quitting the party ahead of an expected defection to One Nation.
In October Joyce announce he would not run for the party at the next election leaving his relationship with colleagues frosty.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has indicated that Joyce would be embraced by her party leading to speculation that he might succeed her as leader. Earlier this month the party formally changed it’s name One Nation, rather than Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.
Hanson has not giving any indication that she plans to retire, but she is 71 years old and would be 75 at the beginning of a six year senate term if she were to run again.
Earlier this week Joyce and Hanson dined together in the One Nation leader’s parliamentary office with Hanson cooking steak on a sandwich press. The pair met just hours after Hanson caused a furor in the senate by donning a burka and protesting against a motion to ban the religious dress not proceeding. The following day Hanson was censured by the senate and expelled for 7 days.
If Joyce switches to One Nation it will give them their first Lower House seat since Hanson held the seat of Blair in Queensland between 1996 and 1998. When Hanson returned to the federal parliament for a second stint she moved to the Upper House.
Joyce first entered the federal parliament in 2004 as a senator for Queensland. At the 2010 election he was re-elected under the amalgamated Liberal National Party banner. As a senator Joyce was known as a maverick who often crossed the floor to vote against government legislation he disagreed with.
When the coalition moved to the Opposition benches after the 2007 election Joyce held a variety of shadow minister positions including Finance Minister and Regional Development, Infrastructure and Water.
At the 2013 election he moved to the Lower House to represent the New South Wales of New England. He served as Minister for Agriculture, when PM Tony Abbott was rolled by Malcolm Turnbull he picked up the extra portfolio of Water Resources. In 2016 he became leader of the Nationals following the retirement of Warren Truss, a position which also made him Deputy Prime Minister.
He was forced to resign from parliament the following year when it was discovered he unknowingly held New Zealand citizenship. He returned to parliament in 2017 following a by-election.
He resigned as leader of the Nationals in 2018 after accusations of sexual harassment. Joyce categorically denied the allegations and the resulting party investigation was unable to make a determination and the associated report was not made public.
In 2021 he served as party leader for a second time when he challenged Michael McCormack. He remained leader until after the 2022 election where he was replaced by current leader David Littleproud. After the 2025 election he was not awarded a shadow minister portfolio and was sent to the backbench.
During his time in parliament Joyce has been at the centre of many controversies and provocative debates.
He’s called for a national debate on the death penalty, although he is personally opposed to it, has argued that schools should be able to ban transgender students, and was a vocal opponent of marriage equality. Earlier this year he called for Australia to follow the lead of US President Donald Trump and declare they are only two genders.
Joyce has presented himself as a family values candidate but in 2017 he announced he had separated from his wife, not long after it was revealed he was expecting a child with his former communication staffer Vikki Campion. The couple had a second child in 2019 and wed in 2023.
