Joyce takes leave from Parliament after 'very embarrassing' Braddon incident

Party leader David Littleproud confirmed on Nine's Today show Mr Joyce had advised he wouldn't be returning to Canberra for this sitting week.

"He's having a week off, which we gave him the opportunity to undertake with his family. And I respect that," Mr Littleproud said on Monday morning.

"And I hope, hope he went to church yesterday and all he had was altar wine," he quipped, in an apparent reference to Mr Joyce's pledge to give up alcohol for Lent.

A Daily Mail video showed Mr Joyce lying on the pavement on Lonsdale Street, in Canberra's inner north at 11.36pm, talking into his mobile. A spokesman for Mr Joyce said the "very embarrassing" incident occurred while he was walking to his accommodation.

Mr Joyce had been sitting on the edge of a large pot plant while making a call, when he reportedly fell off and rolled around the ground, still on the phone.

The former deputy prime minister has repeatedly blamed the incident on a "foolish" mix of prescription medication and alcohol.

But Mr Littleproud has been publicly urging his colleague to take time off following the Canberra incident, telling Sunrise earlier this month "these are deeply personal circumstances that Barnaby needs to address and it's beyond the medication".

"He needs to make sure he addresses this and the best way, we believe, is for him to take a break to get himself sorted and then come back when he's done that," Mr Littleproud said at the time.

"I've strongly encouraged him to take that leave ... and to give comfort and confidence to both myself and to Peter Dutton that he has addressed these issues."

Up until this point, Mr Joyce has staunchly defied these calls, telling the Northern Daily Leader: "I don't take advice from people in Canberra".

"I take advice from my wife, my close friends, and my local GP. I do not listen to the views of people in this crazy boarding school they call Parliament."

Mr Joyce still made time on Monday morning to join Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek for their regular sparring slot on Sunrise, where they discussed a damning federal newspoll that shows Labor's primary vote has dropped below the Coalition's.

The Braddon incident has renewed calls for random drug and alcohol testing of federal MPs, and saw Nationals MP Perin Davey come under scrutiny after she appeared to be slurring her speech during Senate estimates.

While Ms Davey admitted to drinking two glasses of red wine before the late night estimates appearance, she said her speech has been impacted by emergency throat surgery she had in 2019.