Barnaby Joyce is going through a new internal vetting process to win Nationals preselection for the federal seat of New England, even though he is the sitting member.
Nationals party president Larry Anthony expects and says he is likely to be the only candidate for preselection.
Sky News reports some party members are refusing to support Mr Joyce's candidacy because they fear he has more skeletons in his closet.
But Mr Anthony said the former deputy prime minister was going through the same internal vetting process as every candidate in the country.
Barnaby Joyce is going through the Nationals' internal vetting process to win preselection for his federal seat of New England. Source: AAP
The new vetting was introduced after a number of MPs across several parties were found to be ineligible because they held dual citizenship - including Mr Joyce.
"He's got to get through that like everyone else," Mr Anthony told AAP on Wednesday.
"I have every confidence that he'll get through that process."
Sky reports the Nationals members have argued Mr Joyce did not declare his extramarital affair with former staffer Vikki Campion when he filled in his paperwork at the last poll.
Mr Joyce and partner Vikki Campion face a Channel 7 interview with Sunday Night. Source: Ch 7
Mr Anthony said the preselection for New England will be held on November 17, and a couple of hundred local Nationals members will get to vote on who should be their candidate.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, a Victorian Liberal MP, said coalition preselections were a matter for local branches.
"That being said, Barnaby Joyce has been a hardworking and effective member for New England, he had a thumping victory in the by-election last year," Mr Frydenberg told Sky News.
"And he is doing some really good work as a special envoy for drought-stricken communities."
Mr Joyce was one of the most high profile casualties of the Section 44 crisis, which forced more than a dozen MPs to resign.
He won a by-election in New England last year but was forced to resign as leader of the party in February after his affair with Ms Campion was revealed.
Shadow Treasurer, Chris Bowen has savaged Mr Joyce over the vetting process.
"Barnaby Joyce is the most overrated politician in modern Australia - Barnaby Joyce has also become a bit of a parody," he said.
"I would be unsurprised that National Party preselectors are having second thoughts about preselecting this bloke."
