Australia deputy leader fined for not wearing mask in breach of COVID-19 rules

FILE PHOTO: Barnaby Joyce, Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, during an official signing ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia March 24, 2017. REUTERS/David Gray/File Photo

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's deputy prime minister was fined for failing to wear a mask in a service station in violation of COVID-19 prevention orders, the authorities said on Tuesday, the country's most powerful person to face repercussions for non-compliance.

Barnaby Joyce, who returned as leader of the Nationals coalition partner a week earlier, was spotted by a member of the public paying for fuel without a mask in his electorate about 500 km (310 miles) north of Sydney on Monday, the police said.