Barnaby Joyce gets moment in the sun after opposition fails to have him side-lined

Malcolm Turnbull was in short sleeves, in tropical Samoa on Friday, just for 24 hours, at the Pacific Islands Forum.

But it was Barnaby Joyce at home, having a moment in the sun as acting Prime Minister, if only for a day.

It ended a vicious week-long Labor push to have the National Party leader stood aside from Cabinet, until the High Court decides on his eligibility to be elected to Parliament.

Day-after-day, the opposition tried, but failed, to have parliament move to have him side-lined.

So Mr Joyce remains, and assumed the Acting role he’s enjoyed previously when Mr Turnbull’s been out of the country.

The Member for New England spent some of his day leading the country preparing for this weekend’s National Party conference in Canberra, where the junior coalition partner sets a new policy agenda.

Having failed to have him removed, opposition leader Bill Shorten says Labor’s focus next week will switch to housing affordability, inequality, and energy policy.

Even in Apia, Mr Turnbull was ready, with a new nickname for his opponent: “Blackout Bill”.

Six times he used the term in just a couple of minutes.

Standby to hear plenty more of that, and plenty more sparks, now that the same sex marriage postal campaign’s underway, and the battle switches to what both sides say are the issues that matter.