Barnaby Joyce, partner Vikki engaged

"(She) went to the bathroom and I told the guys at the restaurant, 'I'm going to propose and if this works out well, it's going to be real nice'," he told Seven's Sunrise program on Tuesday.

"'If it doesn't, I will join you at the bar for about a day.'"

The couple have two children, Sebastian and Thomas.

The 54-year-old Nationals leader went to the backbench in 2018 after the Daily Telegraph broke the story about his affair with former staffer Ms Campion, which led to the end of his 24-year marriage to wife Natalie.

He took back the party leadership in June 2021, ousting Michael McCormack.