Barnaby Joyce can’t be trusted now, claims Labor

Labor has condemned Barnaby Joyce as an untrustworthy advocate for a net-zero emissions policy given his previous criticism of the target.

Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce. Picture: Gary Ramage

Labor has condemned Barnaby Joyce as an untrustworthy advocate for a net-zero emissions policy given his previous criticism of the target, with the Nationals leader saying as recently as two years ago it would close down the coal industry.

The junior Coalition partner on Sunday agreed to support Scott Morrison’s goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, subject to several yet-to-be-­revealed conditions aimed at protecting the regions.

Opposition energy spokesman Chris Bowen on Monday ­labelled the situation a “rolling farce”, while Anthony Albanese highlighted Mr Joyce’s opposition to a renewable energy zone in his own New England electorate.

“My interest is in the fact that the second-most senior person in the government, the most senior National, doesn’t actually believe in the policy that they’ve just ­implemented so they can’t be trusted to implement it,” Mr Bowen said.

The Opposition Leader said Mr Joyce would be acting prime minister when the Prime Minister left the country on Thursday to attend the G20 in Rome and the Glasgow climate summit, describing him as “someone who doesn’t support this target as ­Australia’s position”.

“It’s very clear that the ­Coalition government remains divided. They remain in a state of conflict,” he said.

In 2020, Mr Joyce ­attacked Labor’s net-zero policy by 2050, declaring it would “obviously shut down coalmines”.

“Well, I’d just like to thank the Labor Party for deciding that by 2050 we will have zero net emissions. So, we’ll have zero Labor Party seats in regional Australia,” he told the Seven Network on February 24, 2020. “The biggest threats to the economy; I suppose the drought, the coronavirus and the Labor Party policy that is going to obviously shut down coalmines. It’s devastating to the agricultural sector.

“And why are they doing this?”

In a hallway exchange that day with Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon, Mr Joyce claimed the Hunter MP was “about to lose his job” over Labor’s endorsement of a net-zero target. “How can you say to your people in the Hunter Valley that you are going to put them out of a job?” he said.

In February this year, Mr Joyce told The Australian a net-zero emissions target was “hardly a recipe for the Coalition winning regional seats” at the election, after modelling showed a raft of regional seats were poised to lose tens of thousands of jobs if the policy was adopted.

After deposing Michael McCormack to become Nationals leader in July, Mr Joyce – who had taken advantage of partyroom fears his predecessor was too soft on climate – reiterated his belief that securing the support of his colleagues for a 2050 net-zero target would be impossible.

“If Joyce was to come back to the partyroom and say ‘I had a ­really interesting conversation, I’ve just agreed to net zero’, then his prospects of getting out of that room as a leader would be zero,” Mr Joyce said.

On Monday, he said he was totally committed to achieving the 2050 net-zero target, despite sources arguing he opposed it in ­Sunday’s partyroom.

“I’ve said it quite clearly and unambiguously: I am 100 per cent on board with the goal to achieve net zero by 2050 because that was the decision of the Nationals ­party­room,” he told ABC radio, adding: “I can’t make it clearer.

“The Nationals went into negotiations. I set down the process. The process came to a conclusion … the party has clearly said they are in favour of a goal of net zero by 2050. I am now absolutely on board with the Nationals, which I lead, to make sure that process comes about.”