BARNABY Joyce begs one question of Indi voters: why would you want an independent when you can have a cabinet minister?
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The opposition minister for regional development, and prominent Nationals figure, made a flying visit to the North East yesterday to assist Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella in a roads funding announcement.
But the $1.84 million Coalition pledge to pave three roads in Indigo Shire — Carlyle Road in Rutherglen, Sanatorium Road in Yackandandah, and Soldiers Road in Barnawartha — was overshadowed by Mr Joyce’s effusive praise for Mrs Mirabella, and attack on independents.
He launched straight into his delight at being invited to All Saints Winery for the announcement by Mrs Mirabella, who he described as someone with respect, tenacity and “to be honest, a bit of mongrel”.
“When the bullets are flying in Canberra and you’re looking for a mate, if you’ve got Sophie
Mirabella on side then you’re going to get somewhere,” he said.
“I like to go into bat with people I think are going to be effective and I want to make sure in our struggle for regional Victoria that I’ve got allies around I can count on.
“I was amazed to think there could be any better person than (her).”
Mr Joyce defended Mrs Mirabella following outgoing independent Tony Windsor’s comments she was the person he would least miss and awarded her his “nasty prize”.
Mr Joyce, who is running for Mr Windsor’s vacated seat of New England, said at that stage he would like to come to Indi to help Mrs Mirabella’s campaign; and yesterday he made good on that promise.
He and Mrs Mirabella were flanked by two other National Party representatives, Victorian senators Marty Corboy and Bridget McKenzie.
It also comes a week after reports that fed-up Nationals in Indi were backing independent, and Mrs Mirabella’s biggest opponent, Cathy McGowan, and days after Nationals identity Ken Jasper was spotted with Ms McGowan at the Wangaratta football derby.
But Mr Joyce said independents “lead to chaos”, “Labor governments” and “farmers being ignored”.
When it was suggested Mr Windsor has been an effective independent for New England for 12 years, Mr Joyce said independents were to blame for the Labor government debt.
“Independents gave us the carbon tax that drove up electricity prices and sent jobs offshore,” Mrs Mirabella interjected.
“And they shut down the fishing industry in north Queensland,” he said. “Yep,” she agreed.
Mr Joyce said: “Let’s take it to its absurd extension, let’s say you’ve got 150 independents in Parliament, how’s that going to work?”
Back to the subject at hand, the road funding, and Mrs Mirabella said the Coalition would “get the money flowing as soon as practically possible” if elected.
Asked about what else Indi could expect the Coalition to deliver in terms of regional development or agricultural policy, Mrs Mirabella said: “Those policies will be released in due course, as have other policies been released”.
