<\/p>\n
Barnaby Joyce says he is \u201cphilosophically aligned\u201d with One Nation after finalising his long-anticipated move to Pauline Hanson\u2019s rightwing party.<\/p>\n
Joyce completed his defection from the Nationals on Monday, appearing with \u201cfellow traveller\u201d Hanson to confirm he would sit as a One Nation<\/a> MP for the remainder of the term. He would lead the party\u2019s New South Wales Senate ticket at the next federal election.<\/p>\n \u201cPauline made an offer to me to come to One Nation, and I have taken that up,\u201d Joyce said in a joint radio interview with Hanson on local radio in Tamworth, in his New England electorate.<\/p>\n Joyce claimed Hanson had \u201cdriven the political agenda\u201d, crediting her with causing the Liberals and Nationals to abandon their net zero emissions target.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m philosophically aligned with One Nation. I\u2019m a conservative and I\u2019m not embarrassed about it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The former deputy prime minister\u2019s<\/a> switch to One Nation had been on the cards for weeks after a bitter public fallout with the Nationals, in particular leader David Littleproud, who dumped Joyce from the frontbench after effectively sidelining him during the 2025 election campaign.<\/p>\n Sign up: AU Breaking News email<\/sub><\/a><\/p>\n Joyce teased the defection in parliament\u2019s final sitting week of the year<\/a>, posing for photos sharing a meal in Hanson\u2019s office before he officially quit the Nationals in a speech to the lower house.<\/p>\n Hanson said she was \u201creally proud\u201d to have recruited Joyce, who she said had a \u201clot to offer\u201d after two stints as deputy prime minister and the experience of holding senior portfolios.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I want now is to form the right team around me,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t know everything but you can only push through further if you have the right people around you. With Barnaby on board with One Nation now, we will push forward, we will hold Labor and the opposition to account.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement, Littleproud described Joyce\u2019s decision to abandon the Nationals to join a \u201cparty of protest\u201d as \u201cdisappointing\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Nationals supported Barnaby through many difficult times, including during his darkest moments,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cBarnaby has chosen to turn his back on the Nationals and on his electorate and instead join a party of protest, which is never able to achieve anything other than headlines.<\/p>\n \u201cI have never had a personal issue or problem with Barnaby Joyce<\/a>. This issue is about Barnaby wanting to be the leader of a party.\u201d<\/p>\n