John Barilaro, Scott Morrison slam Matt Kean over cabinet climate claims

NSW Deputy Premier joins the PM in lashing Matt Kean’s ‘unhelpful’ claim over a cabinet climate split.

Matt Kean poses in a Hornsby RFS truck. Scott Morrison has slapped down his claims the PM’s frontbenchers want more action on climate change. Picture; Facebook.

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro has joined Scott Morrison in lashing Matt Kean’s claim federal frontbenchers want more action on climate change, saying his Environment Minister’s “unhelpful” comments didn’t represent the party.

“He seems to have taken this opportunity to go all out and spruik a whole heap of messages that I don’t believe is representing of the whole of government,” Mr Barilaro told Ray Hadley on 2GB.

“I’ve got a lot more to say about Matt and his comments but I’m not interested today, I’m focused on recovery,” he said.

As wild weather hits parts of Victoria and NSW after a catastrophic fire season, Mr Kean claimed on Sky News on Sunday that right-leaning cabinet ministers – as well as Liberal moderates – were concerned about the Morrison Government’s current suite of climate policies.

It comes after months of pressure on the Prime Minister to change tack on climate change and reported divisions between the federal and NSW government over the handling of the bushfires.

Mr Morrison on Monday said no cabinet ministers have approached him with concerns about the government’s stance on climate action and labelled the NSW Liberal MP’s comments a “beat up.”

“I don’t know what he’s talking about,” he told the Nine Network. “I think Matt can focus on hazard reduction and I will focus on emissions reduction.

“It’s all a beat up.”

“There is a perception, right or wrong that you aren’t leading the country on climate change, people aren’t satisfied with what you’re doing”. @karlstefanovic #9News pic.twitter.com/TSeqcOhRsJ

— Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) January 19, 2020

Mr Barilaro, who has been appointed as the Minister responsible for Disaster Recovery, said he had spoken to Gladys Berejiklian about the rogue Environment Minister.

“Will you be talking to his boss about his comments?” asked Hadley.

“Yeah, I’ve had conversations about it. There’s a time and place and right now it’s all unhelpful,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Morrison went on to give a more brutal assessment of Mr Kean and his public profile in a later interview.

“Matt Kean doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He doesn’t know what’s going on in the federal cabinet. Most of the federal cabinet wouldn’t even know who Matt Kean was,” he told ABC radio.

On the Today program Mr Morrison also continued to defend his government’s climate stance, saying he would never take up environmental policies which would cost resource sector jobs.

“I won’t put up a carbon tax. I won’t put up people’s electricity prices and I will not wipe out a resources sector which millions of Australians depend on particularly regional Australians,” Mr Morrison said.

“We will stay with a balanced policy that understands the economic interests and environmental interests.

“We know the summers are longer, hotter, dryer. We are addressing them. We acknowledge the link between these things and will have a balanced policy which doesn’t put people out of their jobs.”

Mr Kean’s office has been contacted for comment this morning over the Prime Minister’s swipe.

On Sunday, the NSW Environment Minister told Sky News that cabinet ministers were being told by their communities to do more on climate change.

“They’re not moderates (the cabinet ministers). They’re from the right of the party and they’re saying this is a huge issue,” Mr Kean said on Sky.

“(They are) In cabinet, absolutely.

“This is because their communities are crying out. They are listening to their communities saying ‘we want you to protect our environment’.”