Barnaby Joyce lashes out at Malcolm Turnbull’s behaviour after he quit politics
BARNABY Joyce has launched a blistering attack on Malcolm Turnbull after the former Prime Minister tried to meddle in tonight’s Liberal Party pre-selection battle in his old seat of Wentworth.
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BARNABY Joyce has launched a blistering attack on Malcolm Turnbull after the former Prime Minister tried to meddle in tonight’s Liberal Party pre-selection battle in his old blue ribbon seat of Wentworth.
Speaking to 2GB’s Ben Fordham, Barnaby Joyce was scathing in his criticism after Mr Turnbull urged Dave Sharma to stay in the race after new Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he wanted a woman to be selected.
“What is the purpose behind an individual deciding that their goal now in life is to bring down the government, which they weren’t just a member of, they were the leader of,” Mr Joyce said.
“People say, ‘what was wrong with Malcolm Turnbull?’, I think we’re starting to find out.”
Mr Joyce also criticised Mr Turnbull for reportedly calling for Mr Dutton to be referred to the High Court.
When asked by Mr Fordham if Mr Turnbull was trying to seek revenge, Mr Joyce said: “if it looks like a duck (and) it quacks like a duck you’ve got a pretty good chance of saying it’s a duck.”
Mr Joyce said a cloud over Mr Dutton’s illegibility would be used “as a mechanism to try and create chaos”.
He urged Mr Turnbull to stay out of politics.
“Remember the great honour you had and reflect on that and remember that people are going to remember you, if you don’t watch out, not for what you did when you were prime minister, but for what you did when you left,” Mr Joyce said.
Mr Joyce said the government was on a precipice with its one-seat majority.
“He was Prime Minister of Australia, he had the great honour of being the highest elected official in our land and as such he has a responsibility to the people who he once led and he knows he had a majority of one to do everything in his power to make sure that a Coalition government is maintained, that’s what his people would be thinking,” Mr Joyce said.
BISHOP DOESN’T RULE OUT CROSSING FLOOR
Meanwhile, Julie Bishop hasn’t ruled out crossing the floor to back a Labor bid to refer Peter Dutton to the High Court over his eligibility to sit in Parliament.
It comes after Malcolm Turnbull fired off a tweet from New York overnight confirming reports he had been lobbying Liberal MPs to refer the Home Affairs Minister to the High Court, arguing his eligibility to sit in Parliament should be tested just like Barnaby Joyce’s citizenship case.
Mr Turnbull made a second intervention this afternoon. Fairfax Media reports the former PM telephoned potential candidate Dave Sharma to tell him not to pull out of the pre-selection race for Mr Turnbull’s former seat of Wentworth, against what is believed to be Prime
Minister Scott Morrison’s preference for the party to preselect a woman.
Former PM John Howard is also reportedly backing Mr Sharma, the former ambassador to Israel, to be the Liberal’s Wentworth candidate.
Asked this morning whether she agreed with Mr Turnbull, Ms Bishop said: “That’s a matter for the Prime Minister or indeed the leader of the Opposition to determine. If there is a vote on the matter, well I’ll make my mind up at that time.”
“Of course we want clarity around the standing of all members of Parliament,” Ms Bishop added.
Asked if Mr Turnbull’s comment overnight was “sniping”, Ms Bishop said: “I am sure Malcolm is enjoying his break from politics but he has opinions and like any other Australian, he is free to express them.”
If Ms Bishop were to cross the floor to vote against the government, a Labor motion to refer Mr Dutton could potentially succeed.
The government has lost its one-seat majority in the lower house after Mr Turnbull quit politics following last month’s leadership coup, so a vote to refer Mr Dutton could potentially succeed if Ms Bishop and all five crossbench MPs voted with the 69 Labor MPs in the lower house.
“We all have personal responsibility to ensure we are eligible to sit in Parliament and we’ve seen in recent times steps taken by members of Parliament to clarify their status, but it’s a matter for each politician, each member, each senator to make that determination,” Ms Bishop said.
“Of course others may seek to refer it but that’s a matter for them.”
Ms Bishop told reporters “don’t put words in my mouth” when asked if she believed Mr Dutton had an issue with his eligibility over his financial interest in a company that operates child care centres that receive federal government funding.
“Mr Dutton has stated there is no issue concerning his eligibility to sit in Parliament. It’s up to others to demonstrate that statement is not correct,” she said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison told Question Time today that he was aware of Ms Bishop’s comments but he did not think Mr Dutton should be referred to the High Court.
Meanwhile, former Australian Border Force Commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg has indicated his complaint about Mr Dutton accusing him of having “groomed” his 22-year-old girlfriend has been received by Speaker Tony Smith.
“Well, it turns out that named citizens do have access to a right of reply to slurs and errors made under parliamentary privilege by members, and a wonderfully efficient Secretariat which administers those complaints,” Mr Quaedvlieg tweeted this morning.
Well, it turns out that named citizens do have access to a right of reply to slurs and errors made under parliamentary privilege by members, and a wonderfully efficient Secretariat which administers those complaints.
— Roman Quaedvlieg (@quaedvliegs) 13 September 2018
News Corp is contacting Mr Quaedvlieg for clarification on whether his complaint has been progressed.
Mr Dutton made the comments during Question Time earlier this week, meaning they were made under parliamentary privilege which is a protection for MPs if they face legal action over comments in Parliament.
Mr Quaedvlieg tweeted again during Question Time to blast the Prime Minister over his continued backing of Mr Dutton.
Difficult to digest the unpalatable self-congratulation of the PM in QT on his government’s support for mental health policies when he lets a cabinet minister use mental ill health in an attack one day and then use parliamentary privilege to continue that attack days later #RUOK?
— Roman Quaedvlieg (@quaedvliegs) 13 September 2018
PM FIRES UP IN QUESTION TIME
Amid the fallout over Mr Turnbull’s intervention overnight, Prime Minister Morrison has blasted Opposition leader Bill Shorten in Question Time saying the Australian people “don’t want you”.
“Why does the Prime Minister refuse to tell Australians why Malcolm Turnbull is no longer the Prime Minister of Australia? The people of Australia deserve an explanation. Why can’t he answer this simple question?” Mr Shorten asked.
Mr Morrison was almost drowned out by Labor MPs shouts as he responded: “There was a spill motion. It was carried. My colleagues elected me to be the Leader of the Liberal Party and hence the Prime Minister of the country, and that’s what I’m focused on.”
“I tell you what, they’ve had a good look at me but they’ve already had a good look at you, and they don’t want you.”
Asked about Mr Turnbull’s call for Mr Dutton to be referred to the High Court, Mr Morrison said the matter had been dealt with by the Parliament weeks ago, referring to Labor’s bid to refer Mr Dutton during the spill week which was blocked 69 votes to 68.
Attorney-General Christian Porter then took aim at Labor for sitting on the legal advice that Mr Dutton should be referred to the High Court since April.
JOYCE ATTACKS TURNBULL
Former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has lashed out at Mr Turnbull for his intervention from New York, saying he is “bitterly disappointed” by the move.
“It seems like he has an active campaign to remove us as the government,” Mr Joyce told reporters at Parliament House.
“That is bitterly disappointing because we gave our loyalty to the Prime Minister, Mr Turnbull, and one would expect that there’s some kind of quid pro quo that goes with that.”
Asked whether Mr Turnbull was ‘wrecking and sniping’, Mr Joyce said: “I think that would be a fair comment.”
MORE: Ministerial bonking ban after Barnaby Joyce affair revealed
He also answered “Yep” when asked if Mr Turnbull was waging some kind of guerrilla warfare on the party that ousted him while he was holidaying in New York.
Mr Turnbull had tweeted overnight that Mr Dutton’s eligibility to sit in Parliament should be tested in the High Court, just as Mr Joyce’s citizenship case was last year.
“I believe that Peter Dutton has good legal advice,” Mr Joyce said today but added: “I’m not going to start being someone else’s legal advocate ... and I’m not going to start giving legal opinions.”
“Malcolm Turnbull had an incredible honour, he was Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia,” the former Nationals leader said.
“He gets his name on a wall and so he should.
“Since those events that had nothing to do with the National Party in previous weeks, I am disappointed that first that Malcolm should have stepped down. He should have stayed in his seat until the election, because I think he owes it to his electorate. He certainly owes it to the government he led.”
TURNBULL SHOULD ACT LIKE HOWARD: DUTTON
The Home Affairs Minister, whose leadership challenge led to Mr Turnbull being rolled as Prime Minister and replaced by Scott Morrison, responded this morning by calling for Mr Turnbull to “enjoy his retirement” and act more like John Howard.
“I think John Howard has got the gold standard here. I think he conducts himself with dignity and I hope that all former prime ministers can do that,” Mr Dutton told 2GB radio.
“I hope that Mr Turnbull is able to enjoy his retirement and contribute to the Liberal Party in the same way that John Howard has, that would be the ideal circumstance.”
He added that Mr Turnbull had never questioned his eligibility to sit in Parliament until the leadership spill week.
“The Labor Party raised this in October of last year in Senate estimates and then never mentioned it again,” Mr Dutton said.
“My wife’s business interests are well known. I’ve never taken a dollar out of that enterprise, that’s the reality.
The former Prime Minister knew all of that detail. He never raised once with me the issue around section 44, his staff never raised it with my office, he never ask for the legal advice I had that showed I had no problem at all.
“The first it was ever mentioned by Malcolm Turnbull was during the leadership week.
“Mr Turnbull, when the Labor Party sought to refer the matter to the High Court, voted for it not to be referred.”
The point I have made to @ScottMorrisonMP and other colleagues is that given the uncertainty around Peter Dutton’s eligibility, acknowledged by the Solicitor General, he should be referred to the High Court, as Barnaby was, to clarify the matter.
— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) September 12, 2018
Mr Turnbull’s tweet came after Fairfax Media reported the former PM had been texting and calling Liberal MPs from New York urging them to cross the floor to support Labor’s bid to refer Mr Dutton to the High Court.
Mr Turnbull’s comments overnight put him in line with Labor, which has been demanding that Mr Dutton send himself to the High Court.
Mr Turnbull is holidaying in the US after stepping down last month during the Liberal leadership crisis.
WHY TURNBULL WANTS DUTTON IN HIGH COURT
Mr Dutton has a family financial interest in two Brisbane childcare centres, both of which receive Commonwealth funding.
Labor’s advice says he is a beneficiary of the RHT Family Trust, which operates the Camelia Avenue childcare centre in Everton Hills and receives childcare subsidies from the department of education and training.
There is no suggestion the businesses received preferential treatment of any kind, but the High Court would decide if the federal subsidies paid to childcare centres could put Mr Dutton in breach.
The issue is whether he is eligible to sit in parliament under section 44 of the constitution, which disqualifies anyone who has a “direct or indirect” financial interest in any agreement with the Commonwealth.
“I have always complied with the cabinet rules, I have declared any interests that I’ve had in any discussion,” Mr Dutton told Parliament. “I have recused myself from discussions where that’s been deemed appropriate.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is checking whether the Home Affairs Minister did step out of cabinet when changes to child care funding were discussed.
Mr Morrison said he respected Mr Turnbull’s advice but ultimately it was his call to make.
“Obviously I have a lot of respect for the former Prime Minister and — but as the Prime Minister now, then I’ll make the decisions that I believe are in the best interests of the nation,” he told reporters in Queanbeyan on Thursday.
Labor MP Anthony Albanese today accused the prime minister of running a “protection racket” for Peter Dutton.
He says Scott Morrison should refer Mr Dutton to the High Court. He also called for Mr Morrison to explain why he was elected PM and why Mr Turnbull was removed.
During Question Time yesterday Opposition Leader Bill Shorten asked the same question and was told by the PM to “get over it”.
“Scott Morrison knows his position as prime minister is very vulnerable. But he should learn from Turnbull. Giving into people in his own team and being weak will inevitably lead to his own destruction from within,” Mr Albanese said.
During the leadership crisis Solicitor-General Stephen Donaghue said he could not categorically determine Mr Dutton’s eligibility and said the High Court could decide.
Mr Dutton said Mr Donaghue’s advice and other legal advice had “put to rest” any concerns.
Section 44 has caught several MPs in its net in the last year including Barnaby Joyce — who recontested his seat after being found to be a dual citizen.
One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson said Mr Turnbull should stop his pursuit of Mr Dutton.
“I wish he’d just go and enjoy his life with Lucy,” Senator Hanson told Nine.
“He’s had his go at running the country.”
TURNBULL SWITCHES HIS STANCE
Mr Turnbull’s stance now goes against his actions as PM in the dying days of his leadership.
On the day before the second leadership spill that ousted him, Mr Turnbull voted with the government to block a Labor bid to refer Mr Dutton to the High Court.
The government only blocked the Labor motion to refer Mr Dutton 69 votes to 68, meaning Mr Turnbull’s vote was a deciding factor.
But Mr Turnbull was hamstrung — he could not have voted against his party as Prime Minister.
It would have meant the Prime Minister had lost the backing of his party and would have forced an election.
The vote also came at the worst time for Mr Turnbull. It was immediately after a string of frontbenchers handed him their resignations and as Mr Dutton’s backers were circulating a petition to force him to call another party room meeting so Mr Dutton could challenge for the leadership.
A few hours after the vote, Mr Turnbull announced he would step down if Mr Dutton’s backers forced a spill but he refused to call the party room meeting until the following day.
At the time, he also noted that Mr Dutton’s eligibility to sit in Parliament was under a cloud, so he would not call the party meeting until the Solicitor-General had provided legal advice on the matter.
DUTTON’S OTHER CONCERNS
It came as Mr Dutton used parliamentary privilege to accuse former Australian Border Force chief Roman Quaedvlieg of grooming a woman 30 years younger than him while in the role.
“Talk to anyone in the community & put together the words ‘groomed’ & ‘girl’ & see where their mind goes, let alone an ex-police officer, let alone one who has investigated offences against children,” Mr Quaedvlieg tweeted on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison rejected suggestions the comment made Mr Quaedvlieg look like a paedophile.
“He has not done that. He has not done that at all,” Mr Morrison said on Wednesday.
“What he has expressed, I think, is a great frustration at the false and repeatedly false claims that have been put forward.”
Mr Dutton verbally attacked the 53-year-old ex-ABF boss in parliament after Labor quizzed the MP over claims he pushed for two Queensland police officers to secure jobs at the agency.
“(Mr Quaedvlieg) was, as commissioner, sacked from his position. He was a man who had groomed a girl 30 years younger than himself,” Mr Dutton told parliament on Tuesday.
Mr Quaedvlieg, who was fired from his role after helping his girlfriend get a job, said Mr Morrison ignored his efforts to contact him.
“I politely expressed my dissatisfaction to the PM … he read my message but didn’t respond to me,” Mr Quaedvlieg said.
The stoush between the two former Queensland police officers originally erupted over Mr Dutton’s decision to grant visas to two au pairs held in immigration detention.
The Home Affairs department on Wednesday released more information about the au pair cases, revealing they received two of the 24 tourism visas Mr Dutton intervened to grant.
Mr Dutton was also accused of lobbying Mr Quaedvlieg to secure jobs at the ABF for two other former police officers, including one who is now an adviser in his ministerial office.
Originally published as Barnaby Joyce lashes out at Malcolm Turnbull’s behaviour after he quit politics