Pocock Challenges Barnaby Joyce To Run-It-Straight And Settle Climate Change Debate Once And For All

CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT

In an exhausting rehash of outdated political ideologies that Australian voters have overwhelmingly voted against at the last two Federal Elections, it seems that the National Party are once again calling for the government to stop believing in Climate Change.

As the battered and shrunken Liberal Party returns to salvage their dignity in the first Parliamentary sitting week since the Federal Election, it already looks like the road to rebuilding is going to be a lot longer than initially thought.

With Labor re-elected with a landslide 94 seat majority, conservatives have spent the last few months pondering whether or not their anti-science policies and relentless culture wars are actually losing them votes.

But the National Party, who play a major role in shaping the Federal Opposition’s policy, seem to have decided that the voters are wrong – and the Coalition should instead double down.

Former Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce has this week boldly declared that Australia’s net zero target was no more than “a virtue signal”, and it will not make a difference in the global scheme of things.

In the flurry of media appearances and corridor soundbites, Joyce’s anti-renewable energy rhetoric has been echoed by a fellow former Deputy PM in Michael McCormack – a man who many thought was a factional rival.

With the Liberal Party desperately trying to modernise their brand in the eyes of Australian voters, this kind of backwards slide on carbon emission reduction targets suggests that the Nationals and LNP are more than willing to let the Coalition spend another couple terms in Opposition – if it means they get to delay the transition to renewable energy by even a couple more years.

However, not everyone in Parliament House are rubbing their temples and sighing at Barnaby Joyce’s most recent attempts to prop up the billionaire fossil fuel tycoons that donate handsomely to the National Party MPs – and eventually employ them when they leave Parliament.

Independent Senator David Pocock says he’s more than willing to go head-to-head with Barnaby Joyce, quite literally.

“I retired from football years ago, but I am more than willing to run it straight at Barnaby.”

“If he can tackle me to the ground, without losing his consciousness, I will support whatever bill he puts towards Parliament”

“But he’s also gotta truck the nut back at me. We’ll do it here in the Parliament House corridors”

“Pick up a Gilbert, Barnaby. Don’t be a cat”