Littleproud urges Barnaby to take personal leave to sort out family issues

However, Mr Littleproud was quick to point out that there were "greater circumstances" at play than Mr Joyce being filmed lying on on his back late at night on a Canberra footpath last week.

The former Deputy Prime Minister and current Shadow Veteran Affairs' Minister subsequently explained his behaviour as "a big mistake" and the result of ignoring medical advice by mixing a prescription drug with alcohol.

However, Mr Littleproud told ABC Radio on Wednesday morning that while Mr Joyce's behaviour was not "normal", and that he believed he had embarrassed his family and himself, there were extenuating circumstances in the background "beyond a mixture of medication and alcohol."

Mr Littleproud added that the party wanted to "create an environment" for Mr Joyce to focus on those issues, and that Mr Joyce told him he would consider the offer.

"It's important we work through this methodically around - what are the underlying causes of this and one of those is around a mixture of the medication he was provided with alcohol, he's acknowledged that," he said.

"But there are other driving forces that I won't divulge.

"This is more about not necessarily the medication, but around the family circumstances. And I think that it is important that, as I said to him, it's important he's there for his family."

Video footage was published last Friday showing Mr Joyce on his back talking into a mobile phone near a planter box, that he later said he had fallen from, on Canberra's busy Lonsdale Street after Parliament rose last Wednesday evening.

Mr Littleproud said: "There's some family circumstances that his family need to deal with, and I encouraged him to take some time to deal with that emotionally."

"To make sure his family understood he was there for them but that we were there for Barnaby. That we were going to create an environment for him to be able to address those issues," he said.

"That's my job, is to ensure that that environment is created.

"It's up to Barnaby now if he wants to take that time but we strongly encouraged him to do that."