Former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia Barnaby Joyce has released his highly-anticipated tell-all memoir, in which he shares details on his personal life including his very public affair with former staffer Vikki Campion.
Barnaby has been penning the book titled Weatherboard and Iron for five years over a period which saw dramatic changes in the politician’s personal and professional life.
The tell-all’s release comes just two months after Barnaby’s ex-wife Natalie Joyce voiced her side of the story in a compelling article for The Australian Women’s Weekly.
Her words came in the aftermath of Barnaby and Vikki’s controversial sit-down interview with Channel 7’s Sunday Night program.
As Barnaby opens-up again, we list the biggest revelations from his new novel.
1. The book’s surprising dedication
The former Nationals leader dedicated his new book to all five of his children, writing: “I could have given you a life outside the spotlight I turned on you. I wanted the best for you, but was blinded in the glare of the exertion.”
READ NEXT: Who is Barnaby Joyce’s partner Vikki Campion?
Natalie, Barnaby and their daughters Bridgette, Odette, Caroline and Julia in 2015.
2. No pictures of his daughters appear in the book, yet there is one of Sebastian
In the book, which Barnaby says is less about his personal life and more about the lives of rural Australians, he shares one photo of his son Sebastian, but no photos of his four daughters from his marriage to Natalie Joyce.
When asked on Today why there were no pictures of his daughters, the former Deputy Prime Minister said he was trying to protect them.
“Bridgette, Julia, Carolyn, Odette and now Sebastian are the loves of my life,” Barnaby said.
“As I said, I dedicated the book to them, and I know I’m also kind of protective in a way.”
“I know the public spotlight can sometimes be damaging, and I know about the damage it creates … so I’m less inclined to throw other people out there.”
“If I had my time again, even with all of the great honour it was to be the Deputy Prime Minister – if I lived it again I would have lived it entirely differently.”
3. Vikki and Barnaby’s first kiss
Over pages and pages, Barnaby reveals details of his relationship with Vikki.
He explains when Vikki started working for him she was engaged and there was no chemistry between them.
But by the time they shared their first kiss at Red Hill lookout – a viewpoint in Canberra overlooking the city below – “the wheels were spinning off” his life in Canberra.
The politician also shared what attracted him to his media adviser in the first place, particularly her photography skills and their common interests.
“Vikki liked reading and I liked reading. Vikki loved bushwalking … I love bushwalking and botany. Vikki would take pictures of clouds,” he penned.
Despite Barnaby’s willingness to pen intimate details of their affair, he then states his relationship with Vikki is no one’s business but their own.
“It’s not Malcolm Turnbull’s and not yours. It’s no-one’s business except for Vikki, me and our son, by obvious deduction.”
Vikki, Barnaby and Sebastian pose for their first family portrait together, during their interview with Sunday Night.
4. Barnaby spent years pursuing women in Canberra
In the book Barnaby spills that before starting his affair with his current partner Vikki, he spent years pursuing other women in Canberra, despite being married.
Barnaby says that anyone who knows him well, wouldn’t be surprised by this confession.
5. The politician battled depression and suicidal thoughts
In the pages of his novel, Barnaby shares that he wanted to die after his affair destroyed his career and marriage.
“When you stop thinking about how sad it will be when you have gone, to thinking, I have hurt so many that I want to go without anybody knowing,” he pens.
Barnaby battled with undiagnosed depression for some time.
“Winston Churchill had his black dog. Mine was a half-crazed cattle dog, biting everything that came near the yard,” he writes in his book.
Barnaby eventually did seek the help of a psychiatrist, but explains he also sought peace by praying at a “special” rock he found on Canberra’s Red Hill.
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