PM calls for Peter Dutton to bite bullet and sack Barnaby after New England MP’s firearms, voting remarks

The Prime Minister wonders ‘What does this bloke have to do to lose his job?’ after Barnaby Joyce’s sloppy voting and firearms lyrical waxings.

The Prime Minister has buried his shoulder into the opposition, calling for Barnaby Joyce to be sacked over comments likening voting to firearms and telling rally goers to “load that magazine”.

Mr Joyce has apologised for evoking violent imagery in a metaphor about voting at an anti-wind turbine event on Sunday.

The former deputy prime minister and former Royal Queensland Regiment member made the comments comparing voting to loading a gun before saying “goodbye” to three Labor counterparts.

On Monday the Prime Minister asked “What does this bloke have to do to lose his job?”

Barnaby Joyce served five years in the reservist Royal Queensland Regiment. Picture: NewsWire / Andrew Taylor

“This is the sort of language which has no place in any part of Australian society, let alone in public life and here you have a guy going to a rally calling for action, using analogies of guns, bullets, magazines, and ‘goodbye’ to three members of the government,” Anthony Albanese said on Sky News.

The Prime Minister, fresh off announcing a cabinet reshuffle in the wake of two senior resignations, said Peter Dutton should shake-up the opposition frontbench too.

“It’s a test for Peter Dutton. Peter Dutton has had four reshuffles, he should have a fifth. And Barnaby Joyce should go,” Mr Albanese said.

“What does this bloke have to do to lose his job?’ Anthony Albanese asked of Barnaby Joyce. Picture: NewsWire / David Beach

Mr Joyce, a multi-time Deputy Prime Minister, is currently in shadow cabinet as the LNP veterans’ affairs spokesman.

Mr Joyce apologised for the comments when he appeared on television Monday morning.

Speaking at the public event in Lake Illawarra on Sunday, Mr Joyce was hot under the collar about turbines, calling them “wind turds”.

“To turn up in numbers” in Canberra and Sydney was the crowd’s “greatest weapon” against turbines, he said.

“And the bullet you have is that little piece of paper, and it goes in that magazine called the voting box, and it’s coming up,” Mr Joyce said.

“Get ready to load that magazine.

“Goodbye Chris, goodbye Steven, goodbye Albo. And when they see that, they’ll let you in their office for a meeting.”

The New England MP was getting fired up over wind turbines.

Appearing alongside Mr Joyce on Channel 7 on Monday morning, Bill Shorten urged his counterpart to apologise in light of the shooting of former US president Donald Trump.

“Barnaby, sometimes in politics, mate, we speak first because our passions take over,” Mr Shorten said.

“Smartest call here would be just to apologise for using that metaphor because we’ve just had the Donald Trump assassination (attempt).”

“I apologise for using that metaphor,” Mr Joyce said.

In 2018 an elderly man pleaded guilty in court for sending a bullet and a death threat to Mr Joyce’s office.

Barnaby Joyce was the target of a threat involving a bullet and a threat to kill in 2018. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Energy and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said language was important and “robust political debate need not include violent and inflammatory imagery and language”.

“The fact that Mr Joyce thought that such language could be acceptable in any circumstances reflects on his judgement and his character,” Mr Bowen said.

“In an era of violence and tension, it is incumbent on all political leaders to keep their language within civil and non violent norms.

“I haven’t heard from Mr Joyce. In any event, his resignation would be the appropriate course of action.”

Deputy Leader of the House and Health Minister Mark Butler said Mr Joyce using such “explicit, violent language” was “simply extraordinary”.

Mr Joyce’s “language about the voting process (was) effectively being a way in which voters could load magazines with bullets to use to say goodbye to the Prime Minister, goodbye to the Queensland Premier and also to the Minister for Climate Change,” Mr Butler said.

Mark Butler said the comments were unacceptable. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The head of the Australian Federal Police had recently told parliament about a sharp rise in explicit threats against MPs, Mr Butler said.

“And within just a fortnight of the assassination attempt against former president Trump, it is simply extraordinary that a senior frontbencher would use such explicit, violent language about the Prime Minister of this country and other senior political leaders,” he said.

Mr Butler called for the Opposition Leader to sack Mr Joyce.

The Queensland Premier’s office has been reached for comment.