Former Australian Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce caught in an awkward tumble in Canberra's entertainment district

Joyce himself found the situation quite discomforting. He referred to the entire incident as "very embarrassing."

This misfortune took place on one of the more popular streets in Canberra, while the politician was returning home from evening parliamentary sessions. In the middle of a phone conversation with his wife, he made an ill-fated decision to sit on what turned out to be an unstable plant pot:

During the phone call, I sat on the edge of the plant pot. I ended up tripping while excitedly talking on the phone, expressing an embarrassing personal anecdote - said the politician in a statement to the national broadcaster.

After the fall, he murmured a few swear words under his breath due to the injury he sustained. Ending his call, he then rose to his feet before proceeding home.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that Barnaby Joyce should clarify the situation. At first, he refrained from commenting, asserting that this incident was a matter for his party to deal with.

If I had known I was being filmed, I probably would have gotten up quicker – Joyce confessed

News of the incident quickly went viral, resulting in various memes featuring the fallen politician in different locations, including the roof of the popular Sydney Opera House. As if that was not enough, someone drew an outline of the politician's body at the scene of the incident.

On a different note, opposition leader Peter Dutton found it disturbing that no one offered the downed politician a helping hand:

It's quite sad to see people bypass an individual who might need assistance - he stated

Many other deputies echoed this sentiment. Michael McCormack, the concerned former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, expressed his disheartenment at the situation: "We're living in a time where people prefer to record someone in need on their phone, rather than offering assistance."