Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has broken his silence on his affair with a now-pregnant former staffer, publicly apologising to his wife and daughters for the first time.
The embattled Nationals leader this morning confirmed his relationship with Vikki Campion and denied new claims of inappropriate behaviour.
"I would like to say to Natalie (his wife) how deeply sorry I am for all the hurt this has caused. To my girls, how deeply sorry I am for all the hurt it has caused them. To Vikki Campion, how deeply sorry I am that she has been dragged into this," he said.
"I would like to also say to my supporters, and the people in my electorate how deeply sorry I am that this personal issue has gone into the public arena."
Mr Joyce said Ms Campion, his former media adviser, was "without a shadow of a doubt" his new partner.
"It is without a shadow of a doubt that Vikki Campion is my partner now," he said.
"But when she worked in my office, she was not my partner. When she worked in Matt Canavan's office, she was not my partner, and Damian Drum (who also employed Ms Campion) was not a minister.
"I think it is vitally important in how we differentiate between the public and the private."
In a written statement following his comments, Mr Joyce said the saga had been a "searing experience" for the women involved.
"This has been a searing personal experience for Natalie, our daughters and for Vikki — criticise me if you wish but please have some regard for them," he said.
Mr Joyce revealed his 24-year marriage to Natalie Joyce broke down last year after being under pressure for some time, and said he took responsibility for the failure without detailing any causes.
The breakup came at around the same time Mr Joyce's current partner Vikki Campion moved to the office of another Nationals minister.
Mr Joyce didn't link former staffer Ms Campion, now expecting his child in April, to the breakdown, but referred to their friendship which became "more".
The Deputy Prime Minister repeated in a written statement his regret over pain caused to his family by his relationship with new partner Ms Campion.
"My marriage was under pressure for some time, Natalie and I tried to make it work again in April last year but it subsequently came to an end. I take responsibility for that failure." he said in the statement.
"Vikki Campion has also been the subject of unwanted and deeply hurtful commentary at a difficult time, particularly as we are having a child together in mid-April."
He said Ms Campion had joined his staff for the July, 2016 election in New England. In August she joined his ministerial staff.
"A friendship subsequently developed and that became, over time, more," he said..
Mr Joyce repeated his argument that her move to the office of Energy Minister Matt Canavan and then to then Nationals Whip Damian Drum's office had not breached rules banning the employment of partners.
"She was well qualified for the role, was an existing and obviously capable staff member and the change was within the existing Nationals staff arrangement," he said.
"I did not discuss these matters with the Prime Minister or his office as Vikki was not my partner, so they were dealt with in the usual course of staff deployments within the Party.
"When Mr Canavan stood down over the citizenship issue she went to work for another MP and subsequently left the Nationals staff following the most recent reshuffle."
The comments about Ms Campion's employment came in response to questions around how she left Mr Joyce's office to work with Nationals colleagues Senator Canavan and then with the party's whip, Mr Drum.
Mr Joyce said in April last year Ms Campion went to work for Mr Canavan and was "well qualified for the role".
"(She) was an existing and obviously capable staff member and the change was within the existing Nationals staff arrangement," he said.
"I did not discuss these matters with the Prime Minister or his office as Vikki was not my partner, so they were dealt with in the usual course of staff deployments within the party."
Mr Joyce also denied allegations he "pinched a woman's bottom", responding to The Daily Telegraph's reports an unidentified woman said she saw Mr Joyce after the Rural Women's Agricultural Awards in Canberra when he was in Opposition.
The woman claimed she went to speak to him about his conduct, saying: "I went over to the bar and he was very, very drunk and nearly falling over.
"I said, 'Barnaby, I think you should go home. You're very drunk.' He leant over and he pinched my bottom."
Addressing media outside Parliament this morning, a furious Mr Joyce said the incident "did not happen".
"This is a story that has been brought about by a person unnamed, at a venue unnamed, at a time unnamed, seven years ago, and has been pedalled by the bitterest of political enemies to me," he said.
"It is not something that I'm aware of ... it's just in the past."
Mr Joyce had already denied the "bum pinching" allegations with a spokesman saying he did not go a pub or nightclub after the event.
However the claim was backed by John Clements, a former staff member for Joyce's political rival Tony Windsor, who warned Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's senior adviser, Sally Cray, about the alleged incident in December 2015 in an "off record" text message exchange.
While Ms Cray noted the allegations sounded "inappropriate", there was no official complaint or evidence Mr Joyce had done anything wrong so the matter was dropped.
Mr Clements confirmed to The Daily Telegraph he approached Mr Joyce after the woman appeared "rattled".
"I've never seen her rattled and she said she had been pinched on the bum and she pointed at the man. It was Barnaby Joyce. I approached Joyce and asked him what he thought he was doing," he said.
The news follows a nightmare week for the Deputy Prime Minister which saw the relationship revealed along with news of the expected baby in April, and newly-created government roles handed to Ms Campion after she left Mr Joyce's office.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday said no favours or rules were breached when Ms Campion changed jobs.
Senior Nationals senator Nigel Scullion said the party tried to keep skilled staff employed when something happened to an MP.
"We make sure we look after our staff," Senator Scullion told Sky News. "My understanding is that Barnaby or Vikki Campion have absolutely nothing to answer for, although they appear to be paying the penalty pretty heavily no matter whether they've done anything or not."
Ms Campion left Mr Canavan's office when he was caught up the citizenship saga to become a senior adviser for Mr Drum, reportedly on a $190,000-a-year salary.
Mr Turnbull said the Nationals were given a specific number of personal staff positions as a share of the government's overall staffing pool.
"The distribution of those staff members between Nationals offices is a matter for the National Party," Mr Turnbull told parliament. "At no time did the Nationals fill all vacant staffing positions."
Ms Campion is now pregnant with Mr Joyce's child — his fifth — after he split last year from his wife Natalie, the mother of his four children. Mr Turnbull said Mr Joyce made it clear Ms Campion's employment was not discussed with him or the prime minister's office.
A spokesman for the PM told AAP Mr Joyce had not breached ministerial standards in regard to the employment of family and partners because Ms Campion was not the deputy prime minister's "partner" at the time of her appointments.
The ABC reports that Mr Joyce has not yet taken formal steps to declare his former media adviser is now his partner despite the pair living together with a baby due in April.
He has reportedly updated the formal register of interests to declare his split form his wife but not his new relationship.
Mr Turnbull confirmed Mr Joyce would be acting prime minister while he was in Washington next week for talks with US President Donald Trump. When asked if he had confidence in Mr Joyce, Mr Turnbull answered: "Yes."
Asked if Mr Joyce was an appropriate acting prime minister choice, Treasurer Scott Morrison said: "Of course he is."
He told ABC: "While events regarding Barnaby's private life, I'm sure are disappointing ... most importantly to his family and others, that doesn't change the fact that Barnaby, over a long period of time in his public life, has dedicated himself to public service and the people he represents."
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