One of the privileges of representing a community — formally or informally — is the responsibility to be honest with the people you serve. I am open about my Labor Party membership, even in a strong National seat where that can at times be challenging. Transparency matters, particularly in regional communities where trust is earned over time and easily broken.
That is why Barnaby Joyce’s decision to formally join One Nation on 8 December 2025 represents not just a disappointment, but a profound betrayal of the confidence many New England voters placed in him.
That sense of betrayal is only deepened by the fact that Mr Joyce will not even contest New England at the next federal election. Instead, he intends to run for a NSW Senate seat for One Nation, having secured re-election in New England only months earlier. Having asked this electorate for its trust, he has now walked away from it entirely.
This outcome did not come out of nowhere. In the lead-up to his defection, Mr Joyce publicly supported anti-immigration rallies, including the Hyde Park protest in Sydney, as well as similar rallies in Melbourne and Brisbane promoted by One Nation figures and hard-line anti-immigration groups. These were not thoughtful policy forums. They were rallies built on fear, grievance and scapegoating, and they attracted extremist voices that any responsible national leader should unequivocally reject.
For New England, this behaviour is not merely troubling… it is insulting. Migrants are not a political abstraction here. They are nurses in our hospitals, workers in agriculture and meat processing, carers in aged care, hospitality staff and small business owners who keep our towns alive. Without them, our regional economy would falter and essential services would struggle to survive. To stand alongside movements that vilify migrants is to undermine the very fabric of this electorate.
Mr Joyce has said he thought “long and hard” about joining One Nation. That statement does not reassure — it condemns. Because if this shift was genuinely so well considered, then voters were deliberately denied the chance to judge it before the federal election in May.
People went to the polls believing they were voting for one thing. Within months, they were handed something else entirely. A fundamental political realignment was executed after the election, without disclosure, without consent and without a mandate, followed by a decision to abandon the electorate altogether.
Mr Joyce has also sought to justify his defection by claiming his relationship with the Nationals had “broken down”. Even if accepted at face value, personal or factional disputes are not a mandate to defect, reinvent oneself and walk away from the people who re-elected you. To many voters, this explanation will look less like principle and more like petulance — a political dummy spit elevated into a career move, with New England left to bear the consequences.
Viewed in full, the switch to One Nation increasingly resembles a calculated political transaction rather than a crisis of conscience. Mr Joyce secures a Senate pathway; Pauline Hanson secures the parliamentary numbers and financial benefits that flow from enhanced party status — including staffing and funding entitlements. That this arrangement follows years of public antagonism between the two only sharpens the perception that this is less about values and more about mutual advantage.
One Nation’s ideology is not a minor variation on mainstream regional politics. Its approach to immigration and social cohesion is sharply at odds with the inclusive, practical reality of New England. Mr Joyce’s rally appearances, rhetoric and eventual defection now look less like coincidence and more like a calculated repositioning — one that places ideology and personal reinvention ahead of honest representation.
New England is not a protest movement. It is a real community made up of migrants, First Nations people, farmers, professionals, workers, families and young people building lives in regional Australia. It deserves a representative who works to unite those communities, not one who narrows who belongs in pursuit of relevance elsewhere.
Barnaby Joyce has shown New England exactly what it was worth to him — a temporary platform to be used and then discarded. He asked voters for their trust, secured their support, and then walked away the moment it suited his personal ambition.
That is not a change of heart; it is a breach of faith. New England was not represented — it was exploited. Voters did not elect a placeholder, a staging post or a political escape route. They elected a member to fight for this electorate, and he chose instead to abandon it. History will not remember this as conviction. It will remember it as contempt for the people who put him there.
Denise McHugh is an experienced educator in Tamworth. She is Chair of the NSW ALP Education and Skills Committee and Deputy President of the Independent Education Union (IEU).
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This is a very well written analysis of exactly how the MP for New England has behaved. Thank you Denise for expressing how so many of us feel after Barnaby Joyce’s defection from the National Party to One Nation. Most of our elected representatives would never act in this way as they are ever mindful of the faith their constituents have placed in them, not so this man.
new england hicks knew what they were voting for, the cheater!
Betrayal seems to be a way of life for the member for New England. First his wife then his whole electorate.
Lorraine Brown how about you keep his personal life out of it, it’s none of anybodies business.
Karen Underwood he’s a politician. So it’s everyone’s business when he talks about family values that he clearly betrayed.
Nicholas we obviously differ in our opinions, don’t get me wrong, I don’t condone what he did, but I don’t think it is any of my business, it seems to happen more often than not theses days.
Maybe we should look at his achievements in our electorate .
Karen Underwood I don’t care who he shares his bed with, I don’t care who any politician shares their bed with, but an amazing amount of voters do. BTW it was Mr Joyce who insisted his personal life was our business.
Karen Underwood His wife is writing in the Murdoch press against the Government all’s fair
Ms McHugh writes disparagingly about Mr. Joyce attending “rallies built on fear, grievance & scapegoating” & that “they attract extremist voices which any responsible national leader should unequivocally reject.”
I must have missed Ms McHughs’ contribution where she blasts Albanese for attending pro Hamas rallies! After all, Hamas is a declared terrorist organisation.
Could Ms. McHugh please provide a link to that article? Surely she wouldn’t be so hypocritical as not to call out a labor leader for doing worse than what Mr. Joyce has done!!!
Steve Coxhead This is a false equivalence.
I criticised Barnaby Joyce for choosing to attend and endorse rallies organised by hard-line anti-immigration groups, promoted by One Nation figures, where fear and scapegoating were the point — and where neo-Nazis and other extremists were present and unchallenged.
Anthony Albanese has never attended a “pro-Hamas rally.” He has consistently and unequivocally condemned Hamas as a terrorist organisation. Conflating humanitarian protests or vigils with support for terrorism is reckless and dishonest.
This isn’t hypocrisy. It’s about political choices — and Mr Joyce made his.
Denny Carr rallies where “globalise the intifada” & “from the river to the sea” are chanted, as was the case in the well publicised rallies which Albanese attended, are not humanitarian protests! They are calling for world wide violence against Jews & the destruction of the Israeli state. If that is not fear mongering, what is?!!!
You’re right, it is about political choices – & Albanese has made his. Which is why he won’t hold a Royal Commission!
Steve Coxhead Anthony Albanese did not attend rallies organised to promote Hamas, call for violence against Jews, or advocate the destruction of Israel. There is no evidence of that, and no credible reporting supports it.
Some large pro-Palestinian protests did include individuals chanting slogans like “from the river to the sea.” That does not mean:
• the rallies were organised around those slogans,
• that all attendees endorsed them, or
• that Albanese endorsed them by being present at separate events (vigils, meetings, or statements of concern).
Albanese has consistently and explicitly condemned Hamas, antisemitism, and violence against civilians. That record is clear and public. People can disagree with his Middle East policy, but rewriting his actions is not legitimate criticism.
My criticism of Joyce was about his conscious choice to attend, and support rallies whose core purpose was anti-immigration agitation, promoted by hardline groups, where neo-Nazis were present and unchallenged. That distinction matters.
You are conflating the worst voices in a crowd with the intent of an entire protest — but only when it suits you politically.
The Royal Commission claim is another distraction. Royal commissions are not symbols of virtue; they are legal instruments, and governments routinely avoid them while criminal proceedings and state inquiries are underway to protect due process. Declining one at this stage is a judgment about law and effectiveness — not evidence of guilt, extremism or a cover-up.
Steve Coxhead Been watching to much Sky News/Murdoch propaganda
Ross Clarke when did Murdoch buy into network 9 & The Sydney Morning Hersld?
Denny Carr where is your proof that neo Nazis were present at the rally? Because not even the Sydney Morning Herald made such claims!
Yes the core purpose of the rally was around cutting immigration numbers from the record numbers brought in by labor, with a large cohort receiving very little security scrutiny. Visas granted in what has been reported as less than 24 hours is not due diligence! These are legitimate concerns held by many people from different political backgrounds, & to label people who have them as either hardline or neo Nazi shows how closed minded you are!
But to you, Barnaby attending a rally where people were calling for cuts in immigration is bad. But Anthony attending a rally where people were calling for the murder of Jews is A-OK?!
If it wasn’t for double standards, labor would have none!!
A few things need correcting here. The presence of far-right and neo-Nazi elements at those rallies is documented by multiple journalists and observers on the ground. Photos and video were circulated widely at the time on X (Twitter), Facebook, Telegram channels linked to far-right groups, and in reporting by independent journalists and watchdog organisations that monitor extremism. Some of that material was also referenced by mainstream outlets in follow-up coverage. The fact that the SMH didn’t use the specific words “neo-Nazi” in one article does not mean they weren’t there — it means editorial choices were made about language. Absence of a label is not evidence of absence.
It is also disingenuous to pretend those rallies were simply “about immigration numbers”. They were promoted and organised by groups and figures with a track record of race-based agitation and grievance politics. When you turn up to events built by those networks, you own the company you keep. That is the point.
Raising concerns about migration policy is legitimate. Attending rallies that attract extremist elements is not. Those two things are not the same, and pretending they are is a convenient way to dodge responsibility.
The comparison with Anthony Albanese is false and inflammatory. The Prime Minister did not attend rallies “calling for the murder of Jews”. That is an outrageous claim. He has consistently and publicly condemned antisemitism and violence. Conflating all pro-Palestinian protests with calls for murder is exactly the kind of reckless generalisation you accuse others of.
This isn’t about double standards. It’s about standards, full stop. If you choose to stand shoulder to shoulder with movements that attract extremists, you will be judged for it. That applies to anyone, on any side of politics.
Steve Coxhead I wonder if you went to the anti immigration marchs with Hanson and the Neo Nazis
Ross Clarke please provide evidence of your claims that neo nazis we’re at the rally in Sydney.
If the Sydney media didn’t report them being there, it’s a pretty safe bet that they weren’t!!
Steve Coxhead So you were there
Steve Coxhead would be credible if he had attended pro Hamas rallies which he did not
Harry Bond would be credible if he did some research.
Steve Coxhead which pro Hamas rally has the prime minister attended?
Ellen Maree it’s been well publicised, he even spoke at one in 2020. Why do you think he got mad when recently asked about it in an interview?
He is also lying to the people who support his move to PHON. Mr Joyce supports immigration, always has. He knows the regions die without it. He is a perfect example of someone selling their soul. He didn’t sell it to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation’s Pauline Hanson, didn’t need to, sadly she is a woman who is easily played. He sold it to one of our favourite Oligarchs, Ms Rinehart, a long long time ago. Ms PHON, however, is probably the person the majority of Australians would label as our most well known bigot. Check out PHON’s FB page, every day she is promoting dishonesty and division, and those who fawn over her yell for more (I am sure we will see this in comments on this post) … these people live among us and ridicule us for not hating ‘others’ in the manner they do … social media discourse suggests they hate ‘us’ too … by not engaging in hate we are hated … how weird is that! We all want to belong but it is always so confusing why some choose to belong to hate and bigotry. This is the group Mr Joyce has chosen to belong to.
I originally thought he lost the plot to follow party lines..but now I’m going to give him a chance at redemption
Dianne Harris why?
Denny Carr Are you on the Labor Payroll are you??
People will vote how they want to and ile tell you Labor has never done any good in the New England Ever!
Your Barnaby Joyce hate is sooo obvious
Denny Carr mate I’m over party politics..the politicians all have their snouts in the trough and don’t listen to their constituents as they follow the party line..till we get rid of preferences and compulsory voting we are stuck with the donkey vote and coerscion at least people are starting to wake up..
Dianne Harris what on earth has he done to change your mind?
Dianne Harris he has just traded party lines.
Family or. Personal problems has nothing to do with politics & why wouldn’t he change nationals put him at the back & then wonderd why 🤷🏽♂️
Bradley Campbell I don’t know? Maybe they got sick of scraping him up off the footpath 🤷♀️
Bradley Campbell “Personal problems has nothing to do with politics” … ummm yes they do, that’s why there are laws, conventions and rules re politician’s ‘personal lives’. Mr Joyce, through his behaviour and various press conferences over the years, has insisted that we know about his ‘personal problems’.
Annabel Doherty which laws & conventions are those?
Bradley Campbell well I always think if a person deceives their loved ones and destroys them, what would they do to people they couldn’t give a crap about? He destroyed his former wife and daughters and spoke terribly about Vicki campion when it happened. Far out, this bloke only cares about himself! So, yeah it says a lot about a persons character when they hold a public position and one of trust. If they can’t trust him, who the hell can?
What the writer at the New England Times is saying that it’s okay form someone to decide to join labour from another party but it’s not all right for Barnaby Joyce to do a switch.
I don’t personally agree with what BJ has done
I would rather see a law which states that if elected on one party platform then you should serve the whole term with that party
John Whitley I never said that at all. I don’t think it is OK for someone to join Labor if elected for another party….
Denny Carr at the time the green senator left to join the labour I didn’t see any condemnation from your rag. Labour made a big noise about Joyce’s decision. However they said bugger all when she joined from the greens welcome her with open arms. Next election labour -national – or one national won’t get my vote. We deserve better that what the current bunch of politicians are serving up.
If labour wish to win New England they need a candidate that with visit and engage with all townships. And not some worn out from the teachers union
John Whitley I actually agree with you on the core principle: elected representatives who stand for election under one party banner should not defect to another. Voters deserve transparency and honesty about who they are voting for and what that vote represents.
But a couple of things need correcting. First, it isn’t “my rag”. I don’t own the paper, I don’t control its editorial line and I don’t decide what it covers. I wrote an opinion piece — nothing more. To add the New England Times is not a “rag”, its an excellent publication that promotes and facilitates diverse views.
And on the claim that Labor candidates don’t show up: that’s simply wrong. Laura Hughes, Labor’s two-time candidate for New England, drove more than 10,000 kms across the length and breadth of the electorate, attended every election debate and public forum, and consistently engaged with communities large and small. That is exactly what turning up looks like.
If we genuinely want better politics in New England, it starts with fair criticism, accurate facts and a focus on outcomes — not caricatures or assumptions that don’t survive scrutiny.
Denny Carr fact during the last election campaign Barbary was more visible in scone. I don’t ever recall Laura whats her name advising that she was in scone at any time. We had one letter box drop which was a how to vote card. Only due to that card did we know who the labour candidate was Labour’s problem with this seat is they don’t think they can win it so they don’t invest in it.
Fact I have heard that from well placed labour people from out side this electorate
John Whitley In response. First, Laura Hughes — Labor’s candidate — was active across the electorate. Visibility varies by town and timing, but not personally recalling a visit doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Campaigns don’t hinge on one street or one letterbox drop.
On local organisation: meetings have been held to establish an active Labor branch in Muswellbrook and Gunnedah. That work is about rebuilding local presence and community connection, not just turning up at election time.
It’s also worth being honest about incumbency — and about who actually knows what went on. I’m inside the electorate, and I know exactly what effort was put in. Barnaby Joyce is the sitting member — it is literally his job to be visible everywhere, with staff, resources and profile that challengers simply don’t have. Even then, his visibility tends to spike around election time. I’d bet Scone hasn’t seen much of him since the election, given his current focus on promoting One Nation. Other candidates have to work for a living, like the rest of us, and campaign around real-world constraints.
Despite that disadvantage, Labor ran an outstanding social media campaign, mobilised more than 130 volunteers on booths, and received 20,863 first-preference votes. That is not insignificant in one of the safest Nationals seats in the country.
The claim that Labor “doesn’t invest because it can’t win” relies on hearsay from unnamed “well-placed people from outside the electorate”. That isn’t evidence. What matters is what actually happened on the ground — and the facts don’t support the narrative being pushed here.
John Whitley fact: Barnaby is ONLY visible in Scone during elections. Between elections we don’t see him. Don’t kid yourself that he cares a jot about us.
Well said
John Whitley this is an opinion piece, not something written by New England Times staff. Engage is our comment and opinion site.
New England Times hypocritical piece more like it 🙄
New England Times thankyou…I tried to point that out….
John Whitley it is interesting i feel the same and thats how i read the constitution for senate as we elect people not parties etc.
Cory Callcott my understanding of senate was that under federation the idea was that the senate would safe guard state issues. I don’t know how it became a house of rat bag one cause issues
John Whitley it worked fine until the unions discovered they could vote in blocks and groups and gift themselves power which didn’t take long.
Out of the group of people elected to the lower house they elect a leader which is basically just the head of a party now with no representation of the people.
the senate is meant to be the final review for the laws that thought of in the lower house. but with parties and enough numbers we have no review because they’re told to pass them.
when a bill gets knocked down twice (from memory) it can trigger a double dissolution election as the gov is in stalemate.
John Whitley Barnaby never worried about his constituents in New England onl the ones in Tamworth
John Whitley who said that? The article didn’t 🤦🏼♀️
John Whitley or get the hell out of our faces
John Whitleyyou have either misread, misinterpreted or misconstrued what Denise said.
John Whitley the writer doesn’t say that anywhere.
Barnaby the babbler his party took the microphone off him because they were sick of the karaoke kaos .
One nation is the place for shenanigans and wash ups and rejects.
Rubbish!
A well written article which reaches reasonable conclusions about the quixotic Mr Joyce, the Minister for Former Titles.
Perhaps at least some blame needs to be sheeted home to the Nats pre-selectors in New England. They continued to choose embarrassment and inconsistency as more important than toil and integrity. Then again, perhaps they are the crew that jettisoned the Nats and left for One Nation in the weeks before Barnaby?
At least at the next Federal Election, New England won’t be rejoycing.
She’d be correct I’d say. Jenny
Labor or green voter normally???
Says a Labor voter 🤣🥺
He should do the right then and resign because he is no use to us in NE. Probably wants to keep the pay while he cavorts with Pauline. See how he goes. Men do not last long with her.
Why are you publishing this awful woman’s opinion? She has nothing of value to say or add, only loves criticising others. Herself and her side profile Denny Carr
They’re all pretty dumb if they think or believe he had their interests to begin with as the Member for Rinehart…
Joyce has not represented New England in any focussed manner. His focus has always been on himself shown by his defection to another party and a retirement to the Senate!
The point is representing us in parliament isn’t it? Be far more able to do that now
Sean Perry How?
Sean Perry how??
How does a team of 1 represent New England better in parliament?
Should have been a bi election as the voters didnt vote one nation bullshi system
As a Labor voter you are part of the problem. Wake Up
Rural voters have punched above their weight with the Nats. No more.
Now it’s the Teals who make the difference.
Martin Oppenheimer I agree wholeheartedly, that’s why I am running for the seat of the new england in the 2027 state election.
Trying to save the country is hardly betrayal
. Silly rot
She would say that, wouldn’t she. Having another potentially failed attempt at the next election are you Denise? Good luck lefty poser.
Go Barnaby.
Well I doubt she ever voted for Barnaby so what’s her beef!!
Peter Ridley and she would definitely not vote for One Nation I would presume
It turns out Barnaby is the Swindler
Peter Ridley it’s just labor propaganda
How many attempts has she had to oust Barnaby and failed dismally. Voters aren’t listening to her personal opinion which this is. Policies win election,
James Maughanwho are you talking about?
Does it really matter…
The Nationals acheived 3.8% of the primary vote at the last election…
By themselves they are even more irrelevant than being part of the Noalition…
And that is not going to change anytime soon…
🤣🤣🤣
Personally I am delighted that Barnaby will no longer be member for New England…..he never really was…it was always Barnaby for Barnaby and his influencers…….but there is no point in simply blaming and castigating Barnaby for his political ineptitude and his defection….New England voters were not astute enough to see through this charlatan from the beginning and kept voting for him.
The focus on Barnaby Joyce is as irrelevant as the National Party and One Nation are in the House of Representatives … (ignoring the Liberals and independents) … Labor 91 seats National 8 seats One Nation 1 seat (by default). Anything the Nats and One Nation say or do has absolutely no impact anywhere … Barnaby might as well be living on Mars for all the influence he has or will have either as a Nat or One Nation. He JUST DOES NOT MATTER. I understand his current parliamentary office is next to the 2nd floor broom closet and is about the same size. New England has no effective representation in the Parliament and will not have for some time to come irrespective of who the Nats or One Nation put up as a candidate. Only the party forming government has the power and right now that party is (much to the disgust of the majority of voters in New England) the Australian Labor Party with a margin wider than the Simpson Desert. The only way anything will happen in New England is for the majority of voters to get with the main game and vote 1 ALP in 2028. I can see the bristling and hear the tut-gutting but the recent voting patterns in New England defy any kind of rational analysis. From my experience during campaigns the more rational discussion is with one of the brick walls at home rather than with those who are illogically rusted on to the Nationals (or should I now say One Nation).
Exactly!! Well said – outlined reality perfectly…
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