A senior ally of Barnaby Joyce has dismissed the scandal engulfing the Nationals leader as a "beat up" in an angry outburst at reporters.

Speaking in the corridors of Parliament House after an Indigenous business showcase, an irate Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion claimed Mr Joyce enjoyed "100 per cent" support from Nationals colleagues, despite swirling speculation about the Deputy Prime Minister's future following revelations he had an affair with a staff member who is now pregnant.

"Where do you guys get off on this? Fair dinkum. This is the biggest beat up I've ever seen," he said when asked if Mr Joyce would survive as Nationals leader.

"I don't know [if] any of my National Party [colleagues] are even talking about this. What we're talking about is making sure we do the best deals for rural and regional Australia. And Barnaby has been the leader who has delivered on all of those things.