Barnaby Joyce has styled himself as a maverick practically since he first set foot in Parliament House nearly 21 years ago.

As a young gun senator for Queensland in the final years of the Howard government, he quickly gained a reputation for being outspoken and unafraid to cross the floor when his views clashed with his party’s.

He’s the all-time seventh top floor crosser in the Federal Parliament (although his 28 votes against his own side pales in comparison to mid-century Tasmanian Liberal Reg Wright’s 150).

In swapping to the Lower House, this reputation helped ensure another independent candidate didn’t succeed Tony Windsor in New England.

His supporters backed him in again and again, even during the dual citizenship by-election when rumours about his infidelity shifted to open se

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