Barnaby Joyce blasts 'bitter' Malcolm Turnbull as 'sooky la la' over claim he was bullied while PM 


Barnaby Joyce blasts ‘bitter, miserable ghost’ Malcolm Turnbull for living in ‘sooky la la land’ in claiming he was bullied by newspapers while PM

  • Barnaby Joyce slammed Malcolm Turnbull for his many recent complaints
  • The pair have bad blood dating back to 2018 when Joyce’s affair was exposed
  • Mr Turnbull has repeatedly claimed News Corp had a vendetta against him 

Barnaby Joyce has launched an extraordinary attack on Malcolm Turnbull accusing him of living in ‘sooky la la land’ for complaining he is being ‘bullied’.

The former prime minister has repeatedly accused sections of the media of waging a ‘vendetta’ against him, both while he was in government and now.

Mr Turnbull was dumped as chairman of the NSW Net Zero Emissions and Clean Energy Board last week after backlash to his appointment.

In happier times? Malcolm Turnbull (left) and Barnaby Joyce (right) pictured together when they were the Coalition government's Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister

In happier times? Malcolm Turnbull (left) and Barnaby Joyce (right) pictured together when they were the Coalition government’s Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister

He blamed the debacle on ‘News Corp are thugs and bullies’ and the supposed right-wing media ‘cracked the whip, as bullies do’, and got him ousted.   

But Mr Joyce, Turnbull’s former deputy PM before he was forced to resign after impregnating his staffer Vicky Campion during an extra-martial affair, was having none of it.

‘It is just sooking. It is sooky, sooky, sooky la la land,’ told 2GB radio.

‘If you don’t like it (politics) get out of it. Which, I suppose he did on his own volition, he decided to get out of politics. 

‘I want to talk about miserable ghosts. He has this quote which was for people who hung around the political field.’

‘Malcolm has been a continual commentator and I understand it is a thing in politics people get bitter and twisted about the fact they are no longer prime minister.’

Vikki Campion (left) and Barnaby Joyce, former workmates who now have two children together

Vikki Campion (left) and Barnaby Joyce, former workmates who now have two children together

Mr Joyce’s comments were in part implying he was just as bad as how he portrayed fellow ex-PMs Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott after their defeats.

While prime minister in 2018, Turnbull referred to them as ‘miserable, miserable ghosts’.

Mr Turnbull and his former deputy have a long history of bad blood dating back to when they held the top two positions in Australian politics.

The ousted Nationals leader has not forgiven him for sticking the boot in when Mr Joyce was pilloried for the Campion scandal.

Barnaby Joyce has lashed out at his former colleague Malcolm Turnbull, who were the deputy Prime Minister and Prime Minister in 2017 and 2018

Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has repeatedly claimed News Corp has a vendetta against him and that he was bullied by the new organisation

Barnaby Joyce has lashed out at his former colleague Malcolm Turnbull, who were the deputy Prime Minister and Prime Minister in 2017 and 2018

‘Barnaby made a shocking error of judgment in having an affair with a young woman working in his office,’ Mr Turnbull said at the time.

He also instituted the so-called ‘bonk ban’ barring ministers from starting sexual relationships with their staff. 

Mr Turnbull is trying to settle old scores in a Senate inquiry into media diversity, where News Corp faced criticism from him and Mr Rudd.

The inquiry is ongoing and was extended until August. 

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