Amanda Vanstone thought she had seen it all in her lifetime of politics – until she saw Barnaby Joyce lying on the sidewalk. Now she has a scathing message for any Australian who thinks it's right

Former minister Amanda Vanstone has lashed out at the apologists who enabled ex-Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce after Daily Mail Australia revealed an exclusive video of him lying flat on his back on a footpath in Canberra muttering obscenities.

The Howard-era Liberal senator for South Australia responded to the embarrassing footage of Joyce, shot late on Wednesday night in Braddon's Lonsdale Street.

She denounced anyone who tried to normalize his behavior or minimize the damage he did to his own reputation and to politicians in general.

And she said the reaction would have been very different if it had been a prominent female politician photographed in similar circumstances.

“Imagine if Penny Wong, Bridget McKenzie, Linda Reynolds or Pauline Hanson acted like Barnaby,” the former immigration minister posted on X, below a screenshot of the damning video.

'The double standard from colleagues and the media is astonishing.

'Just like his apparent inability to see the damage he is doing to himself, his party and parliament.'

Her comments received support from her social media followers, with one adding: 'Spot on… would really appreciate it if you could revamp your party on this.'

Another added: 'He's unfortunately not getting the right advice, or worse, he's just ignoring it because he thinks he can get away with this behaviour.'

Ms Vanstone on Wednesday joined the outrage over Mr Joyce's behavior as calls for him to resign and seek help grow in the wake of the incident.

National leader David Littleproud has “strongly encouraged” the 56-year-old New England MP to take personal leave.

Mr Joyce admitted falling from a planter he had been sitting on before muttering 'dead f***ing c***' as he lay by the side of the road.

Mr Littleproud told Seven's Sunrise on Wednesday that it was best for Mr Joyce to take a break.

“Barnaby has embarrassed himself and his family, and while he has clearly articulated some of the underlying issues and circumstances, there are other circumstances about which I will not betray his confidence,” he said.

“I made it very clear to him that my responsibility is primarily for his well-being and that if he wants to take some time off to make sure he can address all these issues and get himself back to the level that we expect, he'd be fully supported.

'He has stood up and acknowledged that he has embarrassed not only himself but his family and that he needs to make sure he addresses this. The best way we think is for him to take a break.”

Mr Littleproud said the former Nationals leader needed to 'get himself together and come back when he has done that'.

“But that is a decision for Barnaby and of course we will have further discussions in the coming days,” he said.

The former deputy prime minister explained on Monday that he takes prescription medication and was told “certain things can happen” if he mixes alcohol with it.

Mr Joyce said he fell from a planter after walking home from an evening party while on the phone to his wife Vikki Campion.

Breakfast program presenter Natalie Barr asked Mr Littleproud to confirm his advice to Mr Joyce to take a break.

“I have strongly encouraged him that I think this is the best course of action, but these are clearly very personal circumstances that Barnaby needs to address, and it goes beyond the medication,” he said.

'I don't want to intervene too much in people's private lives, that's not my job, but my job is to create the environment where he knows that he is supported, that his behavior was not acceptable, but that there were circumstances that took care of that. and that it is my job to create the environment in which he can tackle that.

“I strongly encouraged him to take that leave.”

Mr Littleproud also said Mr Joyce had some 'personal circumstances' surrounding his family and that 'unfortunate circumstances have prevailed with other family members'.

“I don't intend to talk about that publicly,” he said.

“That's up to Barnaby. But he wants those things to stay private. If he does, that's his business. If he wants to express that, that's his business. But I have no intention of betraying his trust.”

Mr Joyce had previously told Sunrise he had made a “big mistake”.

“There's no excuse for it,” he said.

“There's a reason… they say certain things happen to you when you drink (while on medication) and they were absolutely 100 percent right.”

His father-in-law, Peter Campion, labeled the politician a 'shocker' because he was taking a course of medication.

'He's working on something. I know when it comes to medicine he is a shocker,” he told Daily Mail Australia.

'Vikki is always at him to take them, but he doesn't.

“He forgets to take them, forgets to stay the course of whatever he's on.”

Mr Campion defended Mr Joyce, saying his son-in-law had received devastating family news on the day of the incident.

'He has already lost a brother to cancer, you have to start with that. “He had very bad similar news, which is not for me to reveal, but of the same magnitude and which affected him deeply,” he said.