The 30 minutes before question time in federal parliament don’t usually warrant much media attention. A laundry list of members deliver 90-second statements about matters in their electorates.

On Wednesday, those speeches included a Christmas poem, a tribute to a Vietnam war veteran and a shout out to primary schools raising money for charity.

But – with a heavily flagged move about to be confirmed – the press gallery was packed, and all eyes were on the member for New England.

More than a month after he first mooted a split with the Nationals, Barnaby Joyce finally announced he was leaving his political home of 30 years to sit as an independent.

Joyce pointed to his spot high on the opposition backbench, dubbing it “the ejection chair”. Far from the action, it was a sign his party leadership wanted him gone, he said.

It was another sad low for Joyce, an outsize figure who once sat in cabinet, led the Nationals and served as deputy prime minister. He is expected to join Pauline Hanson’s One Nation to run for the Senate at the 2028 election.

Famously described by Tony Abbott as the country’s best retail politician, Joyce’s 20-year career in parliament has instead seen a string of scandals and misadventure, poor policy and bad judgment.

Consider just a few of the greatest hits.

Elected to the Senate in 2004, he arrived just as the Coalition took control of both houses under John Howard. But with a one-seat majority, Howard could not rely on Joyce to be a team player. Instead Joyce fought his own government on policy, crossed the floor and ignored appeals for........

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