Speaking to ABC radio on Monday morning, Mr Chester said he had not watched the program, but rejected Mr Joyce's characterisation and condemned his former leader for the broad-brush assertion.

"Some of the finest regional Australians I’ve ever met serve in the Nationals party room. I have no reason to think otherwise now. I don’t think name calling achieves anything in public life," he said.

"If there are specific individual that the couple have concerns with, I think they should approach them directly and resolve the issue, not be collectively describing people in that manner."

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, who replaced Mr Joyce as Nationals leader in February following the pregnancy revelations, also came to the defence of his maligned colleagues.

"The people I serve with are the finest people in regional Australia. I can't emphasise that enough," he told reporters.

"If there was a conversation made between the alleged person who said it and Barnaby and Vicki, I know nothing about, I'm like everybody else."

Sky News reported a National Party source had confirmed Ms Campion was pressured to have an abortion. In the Sunday Night interview, Mr Joyce stressed he opposed abortion and said he knew as soon as Ms Campion was pregnant that he would eventually lose his job as deputy prime minister.

Mr Chester would not be drawn on whether Mr Joyce should seek re-election to his NSW seat of New England. But former prime minister Tony Abbott, who is politically close to Mr Joyce, told 2GB radio there was still time for the former deputy PM to come back.

"It’s a brave person who writes off anyone, even someone who’s going through the wars a bit," Mr Abbott said. "If he wants to, he still has quite a bit more to give to our country."