Barnaby Joyce hits out at Albanese's One Nation sledge

The Coalition is in crisis this morning, with The Australian newspaper reporting that primary support for One Nation has surged beyond Sussan Ley's Liberal Party.

One Nation's primary vote has surged seven per cent in two months, but while some are speculating it may have something to do with Barnaby Joyce joining its ranks, the former deputy prime minister remains humble about his new collaboration with Pauline Hanson.

"I deliberated over that decision for quite a while and I believe in One Nation's capacity to have a clarity of views, to be decisive and to clearly define issues," Joyce told Today.

READ MORE: Marles questioned over plummeting support for Albanese government

During his return to parliament yesterday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called One Nation "nothing more than a divisive force", but Joyce said the Australian leader "doesn't own the voters".

"He said we are divisive and by so doing he's divisive himself," he said.

"No, prime minister, we are part of the polity of Australia, we are part of the democracy of Australia and you don't own the voters, prime minister, nor anybody else.

"You have to earn the voters' rights, earn the voters' respect, you can't tell them how to vote, they will make that decision at the ballot box and when they feel they're in a corner, they scratch by saying, you know, the temerity of the Australians to have another choice."

Watch the full interview with Barnaby Joyce in the video above