Barnaby Joyce roasted for comparing marriage to climate change proposal

Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has raised eyebrows after a strange on-air comment about the permanence of marriage, in a discussion on climate change.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has raised eyebrows after using a marriage analogy to issue a warning about Australia’s climate change policy.

Mr Joyce spoke to ABC’s 7.30 on Wednesday night about the ongoing debate of whether agriculture should be included in Australia’s proposed goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

During the program, the Nationals MP issued a warning to those pushing for agriculture to be included in the climate change policy.

“I might offer one word of caution for those who are jumping on board saying, ‘I want it, I want it, I want it,’” Mr Joyce said.

“You can’t say I’m going to marry a person and then say I actually want to marry someone else. Once you said you’re in, you’re in.”

Barnaby Joyce has been questioned over his decision to use compare joining the Australia’s climate change target to marriage. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gary Ramage

Viewers were quick to question why Mr Joyce would use this particular analogy, pointing out his marriage ended after he had an affair with one of his staffers.

In 2018, just months after Mr Joyce confirmed his marriage breakdown with his wife Natalie, it emerged his former media adviser Vikki Campion was pregnant with his child.

After the news broke, Natalie, who Mr Joyce has four children with, said she understood the affair had been going on for months and started when Ms Campion was a paid employee.

He stepped down as deputy prime minister just weeks after the affair came to light, with the situation also prompting former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to ban ministers from having sexual relationships with their staffers.

Mr Joyce and Ms Campion now share two children, Sebastian and Tom.

Vikki Campion and Barnaby Joyce during their first interview after the birth of Sebastian in 2018. Credit: Channel 7

Social media lit up with comments after Mr Joyce used marriage as an analogy for introducing the climate change policy on Wednesday night.

“Did you notice on 7:30 last night? Barnaby’s likening of marriage to a agriculture carbon policy? Has he forgotten he was married?” one person wrote.

“Did Barnaby Joyce REALLY make the marriage comment with regards to climate change. REALLY! The man has NO insight all,” another wrote.

One added: “Barnaby Joyce talking about the sanctity of marriage again? Maybe he should talk to his ex wife and new(ish) partner about that.”

Um, Barnaby just used a marriage analogy to illustrate the irreversibly permanent commitment to a global warming strategy. So... not very permanent then Barnaby? Omg 🤣

— V (@veeveeveevee3) February 17, 2021

Anyone see the irony in this comment by Barnaby choice on the ABC tonight

Barnaby Joyce, talking about climate change, just said, “It’s like marriage. You can’t marry someone and then decide you want to marry someone else. Once you’re in, you’re in.”

— Doug Ring (@FFRingo52) February 17, 2021

I absolutely love watching @Barnaby_Joyce equate the irrevocability of the decision to marry to climate change policy. Jesus Barns, surely you know comparing things to marriage is off the table for you for rest of eternity. @abc730 #auspol

— Robbie ✊🏻🌹 (@RGratton) February 17, 2021

Many senior National Party members have been outspoken against the growing push for Australia to move towards net zero emissions by 2050.

Nationals Leader Michael McCormack told ABC’s 7.30 including agriculture in the plan would be a blow to farmers and families living in regional and rural Australia.

“I’m not going to agree to sign up to anything that is going to mean massive job losses in regional Australia and food prices for Australians that can’t be afforded by families,” he said.

“What we don’t want to see is farmers being slugged unnecessarily. What we don’t want to see is the price of red meat double. What we don’t want to see is the price of vegetables go up tenfold.”

The majority of emissions from the farming sector come from methane, which is produced from animals, and nitrous oxide, which is released from soils.

“Nitrous oxide is 300 times more powerful in heating the atmosphere than carbon dioxide,”

University of Melbourne Professor Richard Eckard told the program.

“Methane heats the atmosphere about 86 times more than one molecule of carbon dioxide.”