Labor pains fail to leave Barnaby red-faced

Paul Keating knew when to ‘throw the switch to Vaudeville’ in Parliament. Barnaby Joyce knows when to turn it off.

Paul Keating knew when to “throw the switch to Vaudeville” in Parliament. Barnaby Joyce knows when to turn it off.

Labor’s strategy is to enforce the image of the new Deputy Prime Minister as “a clown”, “whacky” and “crazy” and having a red-faced, shouting and incoherent Nationals leader in the Prime Minister’s chair plays into that strategy. It is also Labor’s strategy to prosecute the case that Joyce is not popular with women and can’t live up to his promise to learn from his faults and become a “better person”.

Coalition divisions over international carbon emissions reduction agreements, the future of nuclear energy, water allocation and financial support for renewable energy initiatives are also ripe for ALP exploitation.

This week was meant to be a parliamentary disaster for the Coalition: Scott Morrison quarantined in The Lodge; Michael McCormack removed as Nationals leader; Joyce Deputy Prime Minister again; Nationals revolting in the Senate and, Anthony Albanese, the attack specialist, taking advantage of the chaos.

Yet, halfway through the last parliamentary sitting week before the long winter break when the Opposition Leader will be deprived of one of the advantages of equal footing with the Prime Minister, the devastating chaos has not eventuated.

Labor, like last week, when McCormack as acting prime minister was meant to provide easy gains for Albanese, has missed an opportunity.

McCormack’s grace under pressure helped Morrison and Joyce enormously as they faced the reality of working together with competing agendas, but Labor’s haphazard tactics and predictable questions to Joyce in the leader’s chair could not deliver the expected political gains.

The new Joyce was the old Joyce at times and lacked a coherence but, when it counted, the new, reasonable Joyce parried the Labor queries. For a start, Labor’s tactic of having female MPs ask Joyce about criticism of previous actions that led to his first downfall got restrained, rehearsed responses about how Joyce has learned from his mistakes and is seeking to be “a better person”.

When asked about Nationals’ revolts on water and climate the reasonable, measured and quiet Joyce emerged strongly putting the argument for the traditional role of the Nationals and appealing to people in regional and rural areas. This appeal to the regions in a direct manner was why Joyce replaced McCormack.

Joyce is prepared to support maverick moves that will be broadcast in the bush but don’t destroy the Coalition.

Whether Joyce can really change and maintain his more humble demeanour as well as manage the level of rural revolt will be the real test, but in the meantime the catastrophe that was to be this week has not eventuated.