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Barnaby Joyce’s bizarre climate change comments

Caroline SchelleNCA NewsWire
Acting Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce commented about people getting into ‘more strife than the early settlers’ during a TV interview. Newswire/Gary Ramage
Camera IconActing Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce commented about people getting into ‘more strife than the early settlers’ during a TV interview. Newswire/Gary Ramage Credit: News Corp Australia

Australia’s acting prime minister made a bizarre reference during a morning TV appearance when quizzed about the country’s proposed climate change policy.

Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce was probed about the 2050 net zero target and whether he wanted to protect the coal industry.

“It doesn’t sound like you are at all keen on anything that’s going to hurt coal industry jobs,” Insiders host David Speers said on Sunday morning.

“No, no, it’s the little old bush accountant saying that lots of clients have ideas, but if you sit down with them and say, ‘OK, that’s your idea, let’s prudently go about this because otherwise you’re going to get yourself in more strife than the early settlers’,” he said.

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Camera IconActing Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce commented about people getting into ‘more strife than the early settlers’ during a TV interview. Newswire/Gary Ramage Credit: News Corp Australia

He refused to go into detail about discussions he was having with prime minister Scott Morrison about the emissions target, but said the Nationals were “part and parcel” of talks.

“We look at it through the eyes of making sure that there is not an unreasonable loss of jobs or any loss of jobs in regional areas,” Mr Joyce said.

“These people also rely on the Nationals to make sure that we don’t pull the economic rug out from underneath them.”

He highlighted skyrocketing gas prices in the United Kingdom to urge caution and that Australia didn’t want to replicate the “obvious chaos” happening overseas.

The acting prime minister said fossil fuels were the country’s biggest export.

“Are you saying there should be no coal jobs lost, is that the bottom line for you?” Mr Speers asked.

With Tim Blair Upper Hunter by Election
Camera IconCoal jobs are a key issue for the Nationals in relation to any net zero emissions target. David Swift Credit: News Corp Australia

“Well, not by reason of domestic policy.”

Mr Joyce said if Australia reduced its coal production, the federal government would have less money to spend on other essential services.

But he was also concerned about the regions having to be unfairly burdened with tackling clime change.

“If I said the way we will have a carbon strategy in Sydney, is to shut down three lanes of the Harbour Bridge and shut down the M2 and M7 and we are there, folks. You would lose your mind,” he said.

“You’ve got to think of how it works across the board.”

It came as Treasurer Josh Frydenberg last week said investors could take their money elsewhere if the country appeared to be falling behind on climate action.

“Australia has a lot at stake,” he said during a virtual speech to the Australian Industry Group.

“We cannot run the risk that markets falsely assume we are not transitioning in line with the rest of the world.”

The government has yet to commit to an emissions reduction target.

Originally published as Barnaby Joyce’s bizarre climate change comments

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