Barnaby Joyce

Who is Barnaby Joyce?

Barnaby Thomas Gerald Joyce is an Australian politician, who is currently the Minister for Agriculture in the Abbott Ministry, having been sworn in on 18 September 2013.

Joyce was a member of the Australian Senate representing the state of Queensland from July 2005 until August 2013. He represented the National Party of Australia until the Queensland divisions of the Liberal and National parties merged into the Liberal National Party of Queensland in 2008, although he remained Leader of the National Party in the Senate. He has crossed the floor nineteen times under the Howard coalition government. On 17 September 2008, Joyce succeeded Nigel Scullion as the Leader of the National Party in the Senate.

In April 2013 Joyce was preselected by the National Party to contest the House of Representatives seat of New England in New South Wales at the September 2013 election. He resigned from the Senate on 8 August 2013. He easily won New England for the Nationals and is now on a margin of 21.1% and was then elected deputy leader of the Nationals.