Turnbull thanks Joyce for his service

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the coalition between the Liberals and the Nationals is "undiminished" despite Barnaby Joyce's resignation.

The Nationals leader and deputy prime minister announced his resignation on Friday, a week after Mr Turnbull called Mr Joyce's affair with his now-pregnant staffer a "shocking error of judgment".

"I thank Barnaby for his service as deputy prime minister and in his various ministerial roles in which he has been a fierce advocate for rural and regional Australia," Mr Turnbull said in a statement from the United States, where he is on a trade mission.