CANBERRA, Australia – Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce apologised to Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Saturday for labelling him "a hypocrite and a liar" and said Morrison had declined his offer to resign.
Joyce said Morrison "is a hypocrite and a liar from my observations and that is over a long time" to former government staffer Brittany Higgins in text messages made public on Friday by Nine Newspapers, before Joyce assumed the office of Deputy Prime Minister in June 2021, according to reports.
After Higgins claimed she was raped by a colleague in Parliament House in 2019, the messages were transmitted through a third party.
"I promptly rang the Prime Minister when it came to light a couple of days ago," Joyce told reporters on Saturday. "I offered my apologies. My apologies was accepted by him. I tendered my resignation, but he refused to take it "Joyce remarked.
In March 2021, Morrison announced cabinet changes in reaction to the crisis surrounding the abuse of women in Parliament.
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