Barnaby Joyce’s resignation speech sparks hilarious ‘weatherboard nine’ trend

SOCIAL media went into meltdown during Barnaby Joyce’s resignation speech, thanks to one strange phrase that caught everyone’s ear.

People are a little confused by a phrase in Barnaby Joyce's speech.

SOCIAL media has gone into meltdown mode over a curious term Barnaby Joyce used in his resignation speech.

The Deputy Prime Minister finally resigned this afternoon following two weeks of scandal and intense pressure from the public.

“This is never about me. It’s about the person in the weatherboard and iron, something that manifestly expressed what the National Party is about,” Mr Joyce said.

But, uh, thanks to that good ol’ Aussie drawl, everyone thought he said “Weatherboard Nine”.

Cue the immediate Twitter meltdown:

#BarnabyJoyce quits. And he’s done it for the #weatherboard9 Whatever the heck that is... #auspol

— Lisa Wilkinson (@Lisa_Wilkinson) February 23, 2018

Free the Weatherboard Nine

— Alan Kohler (@AlanKohler) February 23, 2018

The Weatherboard Nine is the worst Tarantino film yet.

— Osman Faruqi (@oz_f) February 23, 2018

Twitter atm trying to figure out "weatherboard nine" pic.twitter.com/1dIxM5YyeO

— Josh Taylor (@joshgnosis) February 23, 2018

Save the #weatherboardnine #auspol pic.twitter.com/XPS85xSfYb

— Miss Bailey Woof OAM (@MissBaileyWoof) February 23, 2018

WTF is the #weatherboardnine? #auspol #beetrooter

— Phil Smith (@Phikl_) February 17, 2018

Use of the term almost immediately during his speech according to Google Trends:

Use of the term "weatherboard nine" following Barnaby's resignation speech.

For what it’s worth, the actual term Mr Joyce used in his speech, “weatherboard and iron”, is about building materials and refers to Australians living in regional areas — in this case, those in his electorate of New England.

It’s not the first time Mr Joyce has used the phrase. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald last year, he actually used it twice.

“(I want) to give greater economic and personal advancement to the people in the weatherboard and iron in the regional towns,” he said.

“I didn’t give a toss for where power comes from, but one of the greatest afflictions for people in the weatherboard and iron is they can’t afford power.”

But when he’s spoken the phrase in the past, it’s confused even his staff who have in the past sent out a transcript of of a broadcast interview including the phrase “weatherboard nine”.

In standard decline-and-fall-of-the-Aussie-politician fashion, some users have also gone with the hashtag #PutOutYourBeetroots to mark Mr Joyce’s resignation.

Put out your beetroots #Beetrooter #barnabye #auspol #putoutyourbeetroots pic.twitter.com/nbD5Axssyh

— Thomas Whibley (@Whibs89) February 23, 2018

#PutOutYourBeetroots #auspol pic.twitter.com/bEcSOiVQVE

— Comrade (@waynethomasking) February 23, 2018

#putoutyourbeetroots pic.twitter.com/ygRPda82cR

— Chris (@chris_hagen) February 23, 2018

Oh, internet. Never change.