SUBJECTS: Barnaby Joyce, Great Barrier Reef
SCOTT EMERSON, HOST: Every week we are joined by Milton Dick The Labor member for Oxley, and former ALP state secretary here in Queensland, and he is of course ensconced in federal parliament and Milton, you obviously would have welcomed back the return of Barnaby Joyce as Deputy Prime Minister.
MILTON DICK, FEDERAL MEMBER FOR OXLEY: Good afternoon Scott, Back to the Future, as they say. Yeah, look, it's been an interesting week it's only Tuesday, Barnaby Joyce was in the hot seat today. While the Prime Minister is still in quarantine at the Lodge and, but it'd be safe to say there were a few fireworks yesterday outside the chamber in the National Party party room, and now it's game on with Barnaby Joyce stepping up, and question time was, let's just say, pretty noisy today.
EMERSON: It was noisy, but before I get into the, the politics of the moment, let me ask you - you've been around politics, a very long time. Putting aside your Labor Hat, and Barnaby Joyce's National Party Hat, it is quite extraordinary to see the resurrection of Barnaby Joyce given the fall he took three years ago, to see him back now, as the second most senior politician in the land.
DICK: Look it is in all seriousness, I think it shows the instability and some of the political, I guess, killings that we've been witnessing over the last 10 years, and I'll say that both sides of politics, but we've learned the hard way when you talk about yourselves and you talk about your own jobs it's the people outside of this building that really looked to us to focus on, particularly during a global pandemic and the economy coming back online, that we started focusing on those, I guess bigger issues, those broad issues.
I just left a great school, Middle Park State School, down here in Canberra in my electorate for a visit, and let me tell you the kids were all asking about the future, what's going to happen, not too many of them knew who Barnaby Joyce was, but I think your listeners, really want politics to be focusing on them, not ourselves. So it is pretty, I guess, unusual to see Lazarus resurrected but you know that's the National Party for you, and it'll be game on now for I guess close to the election, but there was a nice moment yesterday, Scott, where the Parliament came together and sort of universally recognized Michael McCormack, he's a thoroughly decent bloke, for his work and it was good to see the parliament sort of on its feet, giving him a standing ovation.
EMERSON: Yeah it was lovely to see that. Look, I don't think Michael McCormack, really was a cut through politician that the Nationals needed, but no one ever claimed he wasn't a decent bloke and a nice bloke and look, very, very commendable speeches that he gave yesterday and he's leaving and obviously, you know, it's not someone you expect that is going to go to the back of the room and start to knife, the leader, that's just not the nature of Michael McCormack. But you say about that Lazarus rising, of course, I guess on Labor's side, the obvious example of someone coming back after being well and truly dismissed by their party was Kevin Rudd.
DICK: well that's 100% right and we learned that painful lesson at the 2013 election, you've got to be careful when you do this voters take a dim view of when they elect a government or violent people into office, we changed our rules to make sure we wouldn't see that revolving door of leaders and we've had stability on our side since that moment, and I can see, looking at the backbench they're not happy a lot at the moment, they've got a lot of internal rumblings, I understand that the vote could have been between one and two votes. Now when that happens in any party there's some winners, some losers. But you know what, I come back to my initial point Scott, the people of Australia, probably had a gut full of this revolving door inside the National Party. I'd be on your show all night if I was talking about the amount of deputy prime ministers, we seem to be having at the moment. It was Warren Truss, it was Barnaby Joyce and it was Michael McCormack now it is back to Barnaby Joyce, I hope that is the end for the National Party because I think they'll be marked down very heavily if this infighting continues and we don't focus on some of the big issues that the end of the day by those in Queensland and across Australia have sent us down here to do our job.
EMERSON: Now talking to Milton Dick to the Labor member for Oxley. You say, look, there's a bit of division there but Barnaby Joyce, I watched him in question time today. Labor obviously thought they could they could take him on but I didn't see particularly there was any great winning blows from Labor in terms of Barnaby Joyce's performance. He's been on the back bench for three years. Suddenly he's, ah look, at the despatch box there sitting where the Prime Minister would normally sit, and he handled himself okay, it was very different from Michael McCormack, yes. But it wasn't that Labor had a winning question time today.
DICK: Well I think there was, you know, sitting there and listening to it and I'll let your viewers make up their own minds, sort of rantings and ramblings from Barnaby Joyce that's what you kind of get. Every time he seems to be put in charge of something, it becomes a disaster. You only need to look at his record, around the portfolios that he's had when he was a shadow minister, his behavior from three years ago, there's still senior women inside the National Party, and also this week Michelle Landry the medical Capricornia, who said that if he did become the Leader, one of his own team, that it would send the wrong message to women across Australia and that the party hadn't learned anything, so you know when your own party is knifing you when they're pulling you apart. You know, I cannot agree that that this is business as usual, because this is a pretty historic week for the National Party they're normally the party of stability. They've had long term leaders in place, and now you're sort of saying this shambles unfold, I think the more we see of Barnaby Joyce, the less people will like. He's erratic, he doesn't hold policy positions for too long, and you look at the divide that's happening over net zero emissions by 2050, the week that we've seen that report into the concerns around the Great Barrier Reef, you know, you've got Scott Morrison locked up in the lodge. I think he'll be tearing his hair out, saying, what on earth is happening in the parliament, and I'm pretty sure he'll want to get back here as quickly as he can to take control of the situation.
EMERSON: Look, like him or loathe him, Barnaby Joyce has a reputation of being the the retail politician, the capacity to get a message out there to the public and I would argue, Milton Dick, you might say that he might be a drag on some in the Coalition, but at least people know who Barnaby Joyce is, if I asked, most people out there who the Deputy Leader of Labor Party is I reckon 99 out of 100, maybe 99.9% of people would have no idea.
DICK: But what do they know, I mean that's the question. Yes, he's got a loud presence, but if you look at his record, if you look at what he's done, and how he's had to resign in disgrace, a matter of years ago. You know you've seen serious concerns, put on the table by the leader of the National Party in Western Australia, you're seeing some of his own colleagues, raising concerns about his behavior. Sure you can have a big name for yourself and you can be well known but what are the reasons he's known for, that's the question I have, and I guess the proof is in the pudding. Is he going to be disciplined enough to ensure that we have the infrastructure, the proper jobs that we need for the future going ahead in Queensland, and the tourism and hospitality sector, all of those issues that I know are up and down the coast of uur great state that we need governments focusing on particularly the federal government. We're in a really difficult economic period at the moment we need to seize the opportunity coming out of the pandemic. Is he going to offer support for the vaccine rollout for a quarantine facility, regional Queensland, they're the questions I want him to ask, to be answered, not necessarily talking about himself and which job he or his mates may or may not have moving forward.
EMERSON: But won't he also be talking about say jobs, the coal industry you've already seen that the former Labor Frontbencher and Joel Fitzgibbon the member of a Hunter there, he says 'I can work with Barnaby Joyce', and he's someone, he's one of your labour colleagues. He says, look, I'm worried about my seat, I don't think Labor has been focused enough on workers, not enough support for the coal industry, he likes Barnaby Joyce and what he stands for.
DICK: Well I don't it's a question of whether you like someone as a person, it's the policies I guess that we're worried about in terms of support for regional development and regional Queensland, I mean I'm yet to hear what his manifesto is or what his policy agenda is, apart from wanting to become the deputy prime minister and the division around climate policy. You know you've got a whole group of liberals that are can actively campaigning against coal fired power stations, that his own coalition party, you've got former leader, and every state and territory, National, Liberal, Labor, saying that they'll commit to a 2050 target, zero target by 2050. You've got the National Farmers Federation, you got the G7, all of these organizations, countries and stakeholders. He's the odd one out here and I'm pretty sure he took the leadership, to try and you know, talk about inaction on climate change while he's the, that the capital person involved with all of this. So, I think there's a lot to go under the water before we see the real results. I certainly hope that he lists his game. I certainly hope he focuses on those issues because I tell you what, Regional Queensland really needs a strong voice and I certainly hope that he gets his act together and starts delivering rather than worrying about which job, he may or may not have coming into the election.
EMERSON: I'm talking to Milton Dick, Milton Dick the united nations, UNESCO is warning of the Great Barrier Reef is in danger. Isn't this just another attack on us from China in this case the Chinese lead, UNESCO
DICK: Yeh well look, I don't think it's any secret that they are concerns, around the reef and, you know, I come from the position Scott of worrying about the 64,000 jobs, which rely on robust and strong tourism coming to the Great Barrier Reef, which of course is one of Australia's great natural wonders. You know, we seen the government promise to deliver our 2050 plan for the Great Barrier Reef, that was supposed to be delivered. This year I understand from Senate estimates that hasn't even landed on the minister's desk yet we've seen three areas of bleaching over the last five years and we saw the government respond when they shoveled $400 million out to that foundation in Queensland that didn't really ask for that money. Now when we've asked questions about what the government's doing, they've said $287 million has not even been spent, there's all sorts of issues around that foundation not meeting their private sector foundation money or their donors money. So there are a whole range of issues around the Reef. I think the minister needs to lift her game and make sure we get off that list as quickly as possible. We want to support the reef and we want to see the reef there for future generations. It is one of our natural icons, and we've got to make sure we do everything to protect it and save it.
EMERSON: Alright Milton Dick, great to talk to you and I'll speak to you again next week.
DICK: Thanks Scott
ENDS
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