Australian MP Barnaby Joyce yelled at his dog during a live ABC interview on Monday night while defending One Nation leader Pauline Hanson's European tour.
Interview disruption
Joyce appeared on ABC's 7.30 programme from his home in New South Wales to defend Hanson's 'working holiday' in Europe, which included holidaying in Italy with mining billionaire Gina Rinehart, speaking at a conservative conference in London, and joining far-right agitator Stephen Yaxley-Lennon for a podcast.
About halfway through the interview, host Sarah Ferguson asked Joyce if his defection to One Nation was 'dragging' him 'further into a place of intolerance and racial discrimination'. Joyce's eyes darted off-screen before he suddenly yelled: 'Sit down!'
'Sorry. It's the dog,' he said, then continued his answer without addressing the substance of Ferguson's question, instead noting One Nation's growing polling support.
Apology and further exchange
Joyce later apologised for the dog, which he said was interrupting him. Ferguson replied: 'Don't worry about the dog. Just answer the question.' Joyce responded: 'Don't be rude. Otherwise, this interview will come to a grinding halt.'
Joyce later told the Guardian that Stella, a 'staffy-border collie' cross, had been 'barking incessantly' under the deck where he was standing for the interview.
Background
Joyce, a former deputy prime minister who left the National party for One Nation in December last year, is no stranger to viral moments. In 2024, Daily Mail Australia published footage of Joyce lying face-up on a pavement in Canberra. In 2019, he posted a video on X captioned 'Merry Christmas' in which he declared he was 'sick of the government being in my life'. In 2015, as agriculture minister, he made Johnny Depp and Amber Heard film an apology for bringing their dogs into Australia against biosecurity laws.
With about 30% of the primary vote according to the latest Newspoll, One Nation is on roughly equal footing with Labor, the centre-left party that holds a majority government in Australia.
