Speculation about Michael McCormack’s position is mounting, but the former leader could face opposition from rural women

Barnaby Joyce says he would take the National party leadership if it was offered to him but has has rejected suggestions he is “collecting the numbers” against his leader Michael McCormack.

Asked if he wanted the leadership, Joyce said: “I have always said that if anything was offered to me, I would take it.”

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“It is faux modesty to say if you are offered a job, you’ll turn it down. That is garbage, otherwise there wouldn’t be a cabinet minister, there wouldn’t be a leader, there wouldn’t be a deputy leader.

“If it came up, and it was offered to me, I would take it, but I am not touting for it, I am not collecting the numbers for it.”

Joyce said he was not surprised he had been asked amid mounting speculation over McCormack’s leadership of the Nationals just two months after the Liberal party’s second leadership spill in the Coalition government.

The other potential candidate, agricultural minister David Littleproud, immediately ruled himself out of any leadership contest.

“There is no likelihood of a challenge and even if there was, I would not be interested,” Littleproud said.

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McCormack was elected after Joyce stepped down in February following the fallout over his affair with a former staffer and now partner, Vikki Campion and allegations of sexual harassment made by rural advocate Catherine Marriott.

The outbreak follows continuing tension over the issue of agricultural visas for foreign workers to fill seasonal farm jobs. The visa, which is a National party policy, is also supported by the National Farmers Federation.

Scott Morrison has moved to delay any visa and instead urged farmers to report their short-term harvest employment needs to the National Harvest Labour Information Service. Some in the National party consider it a failure of leadership on McCormack’s part, while others say it was an issue for the agriculture minister.

The NFF president Fiona Simson said farmers could not wait months “for some sort of bureaucratic job register to get up and running and inevitably fail”.

The speculation comes in a key political week for rural Australia as advocates, community representatives and industries meet for the NFF Congress and the Farmers for Climate Action rally. On Monday night, the annual rural women’s award dinner saw women coming together, including the former award winner Marriott, who was also master of ceremonies at the NFF congress.

Alana Johnson is a founding member of the peak representative group for rural women, Australian Women In Agriculture , a former state winner of the rural women’s award, the chair of the Victorian Women’s Trust and is a member of the Victorian ministerial council for women’s equality. She is also a past president of Voices for Indi, the grassroots democracy group which helped independent Cathy McGowan defeat former Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella.

Johnson said rural women would be angry if the National party thought Joyce should return to the leadership role.

“I think rural women are angry at Barnaby Joyce and his behaviour and they would be very disappointed if National party thought he is the calibre of leader they want,” Johnson said.

“If the National party truly believed in equality for women and the place women should have in decision-making, firstly there would be more than two women and 20 men at the table.

“And they would be looking to have the sort of leadership to address that really important issue not only for future of the party but to take note of the wishes and expectations of women and men in rural Australia.”

Johnson said the separation of personal and public life “lacks the congruency in values and principles that we want to see in our politicians.”

“There is now an understanding amongst more and more people that how you practise politics, how you partner, how you parent, how you do business, are all a mirror as to who you are a person,” Johnson said.

“This is about party identity. If those individuals in the [National] party want to have the support and the place in rural and regional Australia that it should have, they have to vote to create the party we are looking for.”