Barnaby Joyce, an Australian politician, has declared his decision to abstain from alcohol during Lent. He also expressed concern that political opponents are exploiting the issue of alcohol consumption among parliamentarians, as the conduct of politicians has once again come under scrutiny.

The shadow veterans affairs minister spoke out on Monday, February 19 following revelations by deputy Nationals leader, Perin Davey, who admitted to consuming two alcoholic drinks before a Senate committee hearing.

During the hearing, Davey appeared to struggle with her speech and coordination.

In response, a bipartisan task force comprising politicians from various parties has proposed new regulations to ensure that members and senators remain unaffected by drugs and alcohol while performing their duties.

The task force’s recommendations, submitted to parliament’s independent human resources body, advocate for politicians to abstain from impairment during official responsibilities. It also suggests implementing disciplinary measures for any violations of these guidelines.

Perin Davey, who serves on the task force alongside finance minister Katy Gallagher and Warringah MP Zali Steggall, was reached out to for comment.

No Drinking At Work

If implemented, the proposed regulations would constitute a key component of a comprehensive set of measures aimed at addressing concerns regarding the workplace culture within parliament.

These measures also include plans to establish an enforcement body later this year.

Going beyond these proposals, Zali Steggall advocates for an additional measure: the introduction of random drug and alcohol testing within Parliament House.

Steggall highlighted the prevalent drinking culture within the parliamentary environment and emphasized that without the implementation of random testing, meaningful change would be difficult to achieve.

“It is a little bit like drunk driving without testing, how is it genuinely able to be assessed? We’re not talking one-offs, like the Christmas party at the end of the year. We’re talking pretty much every day the parliament is sitting, events at lunch, afternoon, and evening. People in positions of leadership need to set the example and comments that essentially capitalize or trivialize the problem show that culture change is still a long way off in those parties.”
Zali Steggall

The topic of politicians’ alcohol consumption has been thrust into the spotlight following the release of nighttime footage which captured Barnaby Joyce in Canberra, lying on the pavement with his feet propped up on a planter box, engaged in a phone conversation, and using profanities.

Despite calls from Nationals leader David Littleproud for him to take personal leave in response to the incident, Joyce stood firm and did not comply.

On Monday, February 19, Joyce was questioned about Perin Davey and the prospect of implementing a ban on alcohol within parliament.

“I’ve given up two things for Lent, one is drinking, the other one’s talking about other people in regards to that,” Joyce replied.

“I’ll let other people deal with the issues that are personal to them, and I won’t be adding commentary to it, and sometimes I do get a sense of, ‘Let’s exploit this issue politically for all the purpose we can get.’ That’s an issue for the parties to decide, I’ll let them have that discussion.”
Barnaby Joyce

Joyce faced backlash in the Nationals party room over the footage.

It remained unclear if Joyce’s remarks concerning the exploitation of the situation were intended for critics within the organization or those external to it.

The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, said: “People shouldn’t be drunk at work.”

“And I really think adults need to think very hard about their consumption of alcohol in the workplace. I don’t really see any cause for it at all,” she added.