Nats are all shook up
THE new Deputy Prime Minister of Australia is likely to be a former regional newspaper editor and Elvis tragic who once wrote a column demonising gay people for their “sordid behaviour”.
Michael McCormack appears all but certain to succeed Barnaby Joyce today after his Nationals leadership rival David Gillespie pulled out of the race. But there could still be some competition with Agriculture Minister David Littleproud yesterday being urged by several of his colleagues and prominent NSW Nationals figures to challenge Mr McCormack, the Veterans’ Affairs Minister.
Nationals MPs and senators will meet this morning in Canberra to elect a replacement for Mr Joyce, who resigned in the wake of the scandal surrounding his love child with former staffer Vikki Campion and the emergence of a sexual harassment complaint by a prominent West Australian woman.
Mr Gillespie, the assistant families minister, had indicated to colleagues he would run for the leadership last week, but only if Mr Joyce stood aside and wasn’t rolled.
But he decided not to contest the position yesterday after deputy leader Bridget McKenzie signalled she would prefer not to put the leadership to a vote.
But Mr Littleproud has not ruled out a run, and was last night understood to be discussing his options with advisers.
Mr McCormack trained as a journalist and became the youngest- ever editor of the Wagga Wagga newspaper at 27. In a 1993 newspaper column he described gay sex as “sordid behaviour” and said of AIDS, “if the disease their unnatural acts helped spread doesn’t wipe out humanity, they’re here to stay”. He later apologised and voted in favour of same- sex marriage after almost 55 per cent of his electorate voted “yes” in the plebiscite.
He has also been known to dress as a lateera Elvis Presley and was photographed in a white silk jumpsuit and black coiffured wig at the Parkes Elvis Festival.