Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has been fined for failing to wear a mask while paying for petrol in a regional New South Wales town.
9News politics reporter Chris O'Keefe reported the re-elected Nationals leader was caught not wearing a mask at a petrol station in Armidale, in the Northern Tablelands.
Face masks are currently mandatory in all non-residential indoor venues across the entire state as a COVID-19 outbreak continues to grow.
READ MORE: NSW records 19 new COVID-19 cases
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Mr Joyce is believed to have been inside the petrol station for less than a minute before being spotted by a member of the public, who reported him to Crime Stoppers for breaching the state's mask mandate.
NSW Police confirmed officers attended a service station at Armidale after receiving a Crime Stoppers report in relation to a possible breach of Public Health Orders about 8am yesterday.
Police said CCTV footage at the petrol station was checked and a 54-year-old man was issued with a Penalty Infringement Notice (PIN) for not wearing a fitted face covering while indoors.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys confirmed action was taken after a tip-off was received.
"Police were alerted to an incident at Armidale yesterday, at a service station where a man in his 50s filled up his motor vehicle then went inside to pay for that," Mr Worboys said today.
"Police were alerted to that – they took some action.
"That person was apologetic and cooperative with police and an infringement notice was issued," Mr Worboys said.
According to NSW Health, people who flout mask restrictions face a $200 fine.
