I fluctuate between being mildly annoyed by Barnaby Joyce and admiring him. I interviewed him as a journalism student for a story on a topic that I can’t remember – possibly VSU and its potential effect on campus life – and he gave me about 15 minutes of his time – for an interview being broadcast on community radio 4EB – a bulletin only parents of journalism students listen to.
He seems pretty down to earth – and is quite genuine about his Christian faith. His maiden speech to parliament is worth a read.
Joyce was on Lateline last night. Hot on the heels of the launch of his Liberal colleague’s Godwin’s Law breaking efforts yesterday.
Tony Jones challenged him on his “denier” status and Turnbull’s stance on increasing the target for carbon reduction.
Here’s my one of my favourite Joyce moments on the Emissions Trading Scheme white paper:
Well, what I see is the – something that looks like the Magna Carta, the Old Testament and ‘War and Peace’, wrapped up in a piece of policy called the white paper. I know that that’s gonna cost about 50,000 mining jobs in Queensland, 165,000 other associated workers. I can’t accept that Queensland and Australia shouldn’t accept that. Malcolm Turnbull’s put forward a process of trying to design a way so that we don’t toss these people out onto the street. And that’s what it’s gonna do. If people have a moral position that they believe in an ETS, that’s fine: let their job be the first one to go.
Preach it brother.
It’s a great interview – and well worth a read, it covers a wide range of topics and Joyce is forthright in his answers.