Barnaby says he may not be father

Paternity of baby boy a ‘grey area’

BARNABY Joyce may not be the father of the baby boy his partner Vikki Campion is expecting, with the Nationals MP saying it is “a grey area”.

The former deputy prime minister said he would raise the baby as his own but was not sure he was the biological father, Fairfax reported.

He claimed he was not asked whether the child was his before Ms Campion’s pregnancy was revealed on the front cover of The Daily Telegraph, which eventually resulted in his resignation from Cabinet.

However, the author of that article, Sharri Markson, has tweeted an email that shows the paper did ask him this before publishing the story.

Mr Joyce, 50, said he was physically apart from Ms Campion, 33, for most of the period when the baby would have been conceived.

It is believed Ms Campion became pregnant around July or August of last year, a time when she was transferred from Resource Minister Matt Canavan’s office into a newly created social media adviser role for Nationals MP Damian Dunn.

She did, however, return to Mr Joyce’s office for several weeks around the time of this transition.

There has been a backlash on social media about Mr Joyce’s most recent comments on the child’s paternity, with some questioning why he initially admitted to fathering the child and what he was thinking, and suggesting he was throwing Ms Campion under the bus.

After winning a by-election in his seat of New England – brought on by his dual citizenship – Mr Joyce confirmed in December last year that he had separated from his wife.

His relationship with Ms Campion, a former staffer in his office, was revealed in February and sparked scrutiny of his travel expenses and also claims of past harassment.

After a tumultuous month, Mr Joyce announced his resignation in Armidale, NSW on February 22.

The controversy resulted in a sex ban on ministers sleeping with staff and a feud with PM Malcolm Turnbull.

Ms Campion, a former journalist, began working as a media adviser on Mr Joyce’s election campaign in May 2016.

In August of that year she officially joined his staff and split with her fiance John Bergin, three months before their wedding. Ms Campion was moved out of the Joyce office in December of 2016 and there’s been speculation on the legitimacy of the roles she was appointed to in two other offices.

The couple was seen walking through Canberra airport on Friday.

Mr Joyce told media he had no intention of getting a paternity test.

“It’s mine on the record, there it is,” he said. “I can say even if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t care. I’d still go through this. I still love him.”

Mr Joyce has four daughters with his wife Natalie.

Ms Campion and Mr Joyce are living together in Armidale and their baby is due in April.