Embattled former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce has hit back at attempts to blast him out of federal parliament, insisting he will contest the next election.
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"Of course I am running again - the first people I would tell if I wasn't would be the electorate," he told the ABC on Tuesday.
"I'm still working for New England, I'm having meetings in the electorate today."
Mr Joyce is digging in after labelling some of his unnamed colleagues "scum" in a paid television interview about his affair with former media advisor Vikki Campion with whom he now has a six-week-old baby.
Nationals leader Michael McCormack said if Mr Joyce put his hand up he would welcome him, but the decision ultimately rests with New England pre-selectors.
"It's democracy at work. Anybody can get challenged. Anybody can win so long as they've got the support of their local branch and their local FEC," Mr McCormack told reporters in western Queensland.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also supports Mr Joyce extending his career.
"He's been a great advocate for rural Australia and I look forward to him continuing to be so," Mr Turnbull said.
Nationals elder statesman John Anderson, who served as deputy to John Howard before retiring in 2007, urged Mr Joyce to consider leaving politics after negative reaction to the interview.
"I would gently encourage Barnaby and Vikki to think very carefully about (Sebastian's) best interests, to the point of considering whether they are properly served while his father is in public life," Mr Anderson told The Australian.
"Barnaby himself told us in the interview how tough it is to maintain a stable family environment when you are a member of federal parliament."
Queensland Nationals MP Ken O'Dowd expressed concerns his former leader was no longer a team player, urging Mr Joyce to make a swift decision on his political future.
"I think it's very important for the people of Tamworth and New England that they know they've got someone there who is going to be in there fighting for them," Mr O'Dowd told ABC radio.
Nationals frontbencher Darren Chester told Sky News all incumbent politicians weighed their political futures ahead of elections, and it was not for him to direct Mr Joyce one way or another.
But he said people in regional Australia were sick of hearing about internal rumblings and personal issues, arguing the party had moved on.
Some Nationals colleagues declared their support for Mr Joyce but others are angry that he accused some in conservative ranks of being "scum of the earth" who tried to pressure Ms Campion to terminate her pregnancy.
Australian Associated Press
