Michael McGuire: Joyce and the Nationals are doing nothing for farmers

Watching Barnaby Joyce is like observing a drunk uncle with a chainsaw stumbling around trying to find the last beer at a wedding. Meanwhile, farmers and rural communities are struggling, writes Michael McGuire.

There are many valid, even necessary, criticisms that can be made about politics in South Australia.

But let’s all be grateful for one thing. That the Nationals, apart from a couple of MPs, have never managed to win much more than a toehold in the state’s political scene.

Watching former Nationals’ leader Barnaby Joyce stumbling around the political stage like a drunk uncle with a chainsaw trying to find the last beer at a wedding is a clear example of the personification of selfishness that has ransacked Canberra.

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That discredited former leader Joyce is now on a campaign to return not only to the leadership of his party, but also to the position of the nation’s deputy prime minister, shows a man who appears to be detached from the mood of the electorate in a way that only former Labor leader Mark Latham can match.

Barnaby Joyce has launched a campaign to return to leadership of his party. Picture: AAP/Mick Tsikas

Joyce wants to replace a bloke called Michael McCormack. You may not have heard of him but he is Australia’s deputy prime minister. Though, he has raised his profile a little in recent days. He was the bright spark who suggested there will be no more footy matches played at night if Labor wins the next election and implements its energy policy.

“Forget night footy. Forget night cricket,’’ the brainbox crowed, marking the moment the politics of fear tipped over to become the politics of the hysterical.

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But there is a bigger picture at work as well. While Joyce v McCormack is an entertaining sideshow, the real tragedy is that the Nationals’ car crash leaves much of rural and regional Australia without a credible voice. The Nationals are no longer fit for purpose.

They have thrown their lot in with the cranks on the right who believe coal to be their salvation. They back miners over farmers. In a TV interview this week, McCormack struggled to name an occasion where the party had favoured farmers over miners when the two had come into conflict.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack recently commented that there would be no footy matches played at night if Labor win the next election. Picture: AAP/Peter Rae

Joyce is famously close to Australia’s richest miner Gina Rinehart. Once he even accepted a $40,000 cheque from her before handing it back under political pressure.

All the while farmers and rural communities are struggling. The ongoing dismal handling of the River Murray is causing pain up and down the river. Farmer suicide rates are above national averages. Drought, driven by climate change, is devastating large parts of Australia.

Last week, The Advertiser ran a front-page story about Mid North farmer Neil Sleep, who said the current drought was the worst he has seen in more than 50 years of farming.

“This is worse than the 1982 drought, that’s for sure,” Mr Sleep said.

Most farmers take great care of the environment. It would make no sense if they didn’t — their livelihoods depend on it.

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But they can’t do much when it refuses to rain. The Bureau of Meteorology publishes rainfall deficiency maps. It highlight areas, in various shades of red, as being either being in “serious deficiency”, “severe deficiency’’ or “lowest on record’’. Despite the bright colours, it’s not a pretty sight.

Australia’s richest miner Gina Rinehart and Barnaby Joyce are famously close. Picture: supplied

“For the Murray-Darling Basin rainfall for this period was the second-lowest on record behind 1900-02, compared to all other 23-month periods ending in February since 1900,’’ the BOM says.

All the while, putative Nationals leader Joyce apparently believes the most important issue facing his constituents is using taxpayer dollars to build a new coal-fired power station in Queensland.

Just to add a little irony, Joyce is also the “drought envoy’’ of PM Scott Morrison.

He is even proposing the Nationals split from the Libs to make a point. Which is brave.

The Libs give the Nats whatever relevance they have. How does Barnaby again become the “elected deputy PM’’ otherwise?

But where does all this leave people in the country? The Libs, especially in SA, have country seats, but depend on the city to win government.

Labor is retreating ever further into the cities. Those in the country often voice the opinion that their concerns are ignored in favour of city issues.

Their lack of proper representation is a big problem.

Michael McGuire is a journalist for The Adelaide Advertiser.

@mcguiremi