Barnaby Joyce has announced he is standing down as Australia's deputy prime minister and leader of the Nationals party, after more than two weeks of growing uncertainty about his political future.
"On Monday morning at the party room, I will step down as the leader of the National Party and deputy leader of Australia," Joyce told a press conference in Armidale on Friday.
Joyce will remain in parliament, sitting on the back bench, and said the decision to resign wasn't hard.
"It is an incredible honour," he said. "If you're a Wallaby for 10 minutes, you're a Wallaby for life. Don't we live in an incredible nation? Someone who went to a public school could become deputy prime minister of Australia.
"An incredible enforcement of the people we are."
Joyce said he has spoken to the acting prime minister, Mathias Cormann, Nationals chief whip Michelle Landry, and his colleagues to inform them of his decision.
"No, I won't snipe," he said echoing the words uttered by former prime minister Tony Abbott after his resignation. "I have a lot of things I need to do."
"I want to assist my colleagues where I can to keep their seats and also, quite naturally, in April, a baby will be born. I'll have other things on my mind."
Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull issued a statement confirming that Joyce's resignation will come into effect at 8am on Monday.
"I thank Barnaby for his service as deputy prime minister and in his various ministerial roles in which he has been a fierce advocate for rural and regional Australia," Turnbull said on Friday afternoon.
Turnbull said the 95-year-old coalition between the Liberals and Nationals is "undiminished" and will "continue to deliver opportunity and security for all Australians".
Pending the Nationals’ election of a new leader, John McVeigh MP will act as minister for infrastructure and transport.
Deputy Nationals leader Bridget McKenzie issued a statement on Friday saying that "every member of the Nationals team is unified and committed to ensuring the great work started by Barnaby will be delivered long into the future".
Joyce's announcement came at the end of a week when he was supposed to be on personal leave but instead conducted a series of media appearances, including print interviews, doorstop comments, and press conferences, and released two written statements and attended a Nationals branch meeting.
His resignation removes the need for a leadership spill, clearing the way for a new Nationals party leader to be elected when parliament resumes in Canberra on Monday.
Joyce refused to endorse anyone as his replacement or rule out whether he would return as deputy prime minister and Nationals leader.
BREAKING: Former.
There have been growing calls for Joyce to move to the back bench over the last three weeks, since it was first revealed he is expecting his fifth child with a former employee.
He said his decision to leave the front bench on Friday follows a sexual harassment complaint made by a West Australian woman against the embattled member for New England.
"Obviously, [his decision to quit] was confirmed by the allegations that I read in the paper. I just thought that has to be the straw that breaks the camel's back," Joyce said.
National Party federal president Larry Anthony confirmed a sexual harassment complaint had been made against Joyce, adding that it was being taken "seriously" and would be "treated with strict confidentiality and given due process".
The complaint was behind the surprise announcement earlier this week that the WA Nationals would be withdrawing their support from the deputy prime minister's leadership.
Joyce rejected the accusations, describing them as "spurious and defamatory".
On Thursday, Nationals MP Andrew Broad publicly called for Joyce to quit as leader and spend some time on the back bench.
Another National MP, Andrew Gee, warned on Friday that "all bets are off" but said he hasn't been contacted by any potential leadership contenders.
“Until I have clarification regarding some of the issues about Barnaby, I won’t be able to back him but I’m also not in a position to back any challenger,” Gee said in a statement.
“I’m backing the electorate and not anyone else and we’ll just have to see what next week brings.”
Michael McCormack and David Gillespie have been touted as potential frontrunners but have not confirmed whether or not they will throw their hat in the ring if the top job comes up. Darren Chester has ruled himself out of contention, saying he will support McCormack for the job.
On Friday, acting prime minister Mathias Cormann – who is serving in the role while Joyce is on personal leave and prime minister Malcolm Turnbull is in the United States – and treasurer Scott Morrison both refused to throw their support behind Joyce. They both said the matter was strictly an issue for the National party.
