Barnaby digs for coal on the moral high ground. How did we get here?

Now that Barnaby Joyce and Matt Canavan have created their own buddy podcast, we can be fairly sure the medium has peaked. Teenagers across Australia had better hope the pair don’t take next to Tik-Tok, or it too will be ruined by association. As for Snapchat, we pray Joyce has never heard of it.

Long has the member for New England exhausted the mainstream media with his need for attention, and yet it’s strangely difficult to recall any formal policy positions he has fought for.

Not content with drenching the traditional airwaves with himself, this week Joyce was conscripted by his former chief of staff, the recently departed resources minister, Matt Canavan, to break the internet with their own podcast, Weatherboard and Iron.

The trend of politicians podcasting is a worrying one – Christopher Pyne, the former defence minister-turned lobbyist, recently launched one. Julia Gillard has one too.

Read the opinion piece from The Age by Jacqueline Maley - “Barnaby digs for coal on the moral high ground. How did we get here?”

Federal Labor critical of Coalition's coal study, while not ruling out blocking mines and power plants

The Federal Opposition has accused the Coalition of opening the door to subsidising new coal-fired power stations, as rogue Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce argued cutting carbon emissions was being prioritised ahead of affordable power.

Barnaby Joyce has defended his stance on coal.

The Federal Government announced $6 million would be spent on two feasibility studies for new electricity generation projects, including a coal-fired power plant at Collinsville in north Queensland.

Tensions were high in the Coalition party room on Tuesday between conservative Nationals MPs, who wanted the Government to focus more on coal, and moderate Liberals who believed more needed to be done to tackle climate change.

Fresh from his unsuccessful tilt for the Nationals' leadership, Barnaby Joyce said there are significant government subsidies for renewable energy projects across the country and coal-fired plants should not be discounted.

Read the ABC News storey Matthew Doran - “Federal Labor critical of Coalition's coal study, while not ruling out blocking mines and power plants.”

Barnaby Joyce outlines a 'tactile' climate policy after releasing Twitter rant

Barnaby Joyce says Australia's climate policy should be practical and pragmatic, suggesting nuclear power, a day after releasing a Twitter video in which he suggested a tax won't fix climate change and people need to respect a "higher authority" at play.

New England MP Barnaby Joyce says Australia should pursue
climate change policies that deliver "tactile" outcomes.

"We need things that are tactile and make a difference to a changing climate," Mr Joyce told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.

The Nationals MP and former deputy prime minister says successful climate policy would include stimulating the economy with dam building during drought, and working on infrastructure such as the Inland Rail to reduce freight vehicle emissions, as well as developing nuclear power and clean coal technology to reduce emissions.

Mr Joyce also said the Nationals should take a more prominent role in drought policy, arguing the recent appointment of a national drought co-ordinator should have been selected by Drought Minister David Littleproud, a member of the LNP.

Read the story from The Age by Mike Foley - “Barnaby Joyce outlines a 'tactile' climate policy after releasing Twitter rant.”

Make nuclear power free, Barnaby Joyce says

Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce says free nuclear power could be offered to residents living close to a reactor to help build support for the controversial technology, as an analysis pinpoints which Australian towns are best placed to host a nuclear plant.

Australia's only nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights in Sydney.
It does not produce nuclear energy but is used to produce
 medical radioisotopes and for other purposes.

But the pro-nuclear push by Coalition backbenchers may be losing momentum after one colleague dismissed it as a "distraction" and a senior minister said the government had "no desire to go down that path".

Federal and state laws prohibit the development of a domestic nuclear power industry. However, federal MPs Keith Pitt and James McGrath are pushing for a parliamentary inquiry into the technology's feasibility in Australia and the NSW Nationals last month passed a motion supporting nuclear energy.

A leading lobby group for the technology, the Australian Nuclear Association, has identified dozens of potential sites for nuclear reactors – those with stable geology and proximity to the existing grid, transport and water. The locations include those in Mr Joyce's New England electorate in northern NSW and Liberal Ken O'Dowd's Queensland seat of Flynn. Both MPs have backed a nuclear inquiry

Read the story from The Age by Nicole Hasham - “Make nuclear power free, Barnaby Joyce says.”

(Good sense illustrates that nuclear power is, for a multitude of reasons, simply not the solution to Australia’s, or the world’s, climate crisis. However, good sense and the Australian government, particularly Barnaby Joyce,  are not to be usually found in the same sentence - Robert McLean)

The idea of producing nuclear energy in Australia before 2040 is absurd

The debate about nuclear power in Australia flickered to life with the suggestion by the New South Wales deputy premier, John Barilaro, that small modular reactors could be constructed in regional centres. Prominent backbencher Barnaby Joyce followed up with a call for a parliamentary inquiry.

We don’t need to call on the phantom of nuclear power
 to secure a reliable, carbon-free electricity supply for the future.

Joyce and Barilaro revived this idea after the release of a report by Industry Super Australia, which took as the starting point the need to replace most of Australia’s coal-fired power stations by 2040. The report concluded: “It is difficult to see how the the problem can be resolved without some nuclear in the mix.”

It would perhaps be churlish to observe that the small reactors advocated by Barilaro exist only as designs and may never be built. There is a much bigger obstacle which is essentially impossible to overcome.

Read the story from The Guardian by John Quiggin - “The idea of producing nuclear energy in Australia before 2040 is absurd.”

Nuclear lobby identifies preferred sites for 20 nukes in Australia

National Party luminaries such as Barnaby Joyce and NSW deputy premier John Barilaro must be tickled pink. 

Outspoken pro-nuclear advocates have been identified
by the local nuclear lobby as some of the most prospective
locations for their call to build 20 nukes in Australia’s main grid.

The electorates of these outspoken pro-nuclear advocates have been identified by the local nuclear lobby as some of the most prospective locations for their call to build 20 nukes in Australia’s main grid.

These areas include Joyce’s New England electorate, Barilaro’s state electorate of Monaro in southern NSW, and fellow booster Ken O’Dowd’s federal electorate of Flynn in central Queensland. Won’t their constituents be pleased!

Other towns and regions identified include the Latrobe Valley, the Gippsland region of Victoria, Albury, Whyalla and Port Augusta in South Australia, the mid-north coast of NSW, and a whole bunch of sites in south-east Queensland.

Read the story from RenewEconomy by Giles Parkinson - “Nuclear lobby identifies preferred sites for 20 nukes in Australia.”

‘Barking mad’: Barnaby Joyce slams the idea we can fix climate change

Barnaby Joyce says the idea Australia can stop climate change is “barking mad”, and global warming is a better problem than the next ice age.

Barnaby Joyce has declared the idea Australia can
stop climate change as "barking mad". 

The former Nationals leader once famously warned Australians they could pay $150 for a lamb roast, as a result of Julia Gillard’s carbon tax.

Contrary to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate report, Mr Joyce is warning the climate change crisis campaign is overblown and says the push to reduce carbon emissions is pointless.

“The very idea that we can stop climate change is barking mad. Climate change is inevitable, as geology has always shown,” Mr Joyce said in a Facebook post.

Read the story from The New Daily by Samantha Maiden - “‘Barking mad’: Barnaby Joyce slams the idea we can fix climate change.”

Barnaby backs coal unless Australians want nuclear power supply

Barnaby Joyce has called the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) recommendation to phase out coal by 2050 as “wrong and ridiculous”, while once again suggesting Australians need to look at nuclear power.

 Grasp the mettle: Barnaby Joyce said that if Australia
wants zero admission then nuclear power is the obvious
solution following the IPCC report.

Last weekend the IPCC, the world’s foremost panel on climate change, issued a report stating global greenhouse gas emissions must reach zero by 2050 in order to stop global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The authors warned that if warming was allowed to reach 2C, the world would risk hitting "tipping points", setting a course towards uncontrollable temperatures, as well as the complete destruction of the Great Barrier Reef, and devastating rises in sea levels.

Read the story by Chris Bath from The Northern Daily Leader - “Barnaby backs coal unless Australians want nuclear power supply.”

(Challenged over the safety and legitimacy of Roundup (and its active ingredient glyphosate) the coalition government rushed to the shelter of science, but now when that same science tells them that unless they make significant changes to nearly all of society’s behaviours to avoid catastrophic climate change, that it is “wrong and ridiculous”. It’s Barnaby Joyce who is wrong and ridiculous - Robert McLean)

Barnaby Joyce's call to divert environmental water to drought-hit farmers panned by conservationists

Environmentalists have slammed Australia's new drought envoy Barnaby Joyce, describing his calls to divert water to farmers as "ill-informed" and likely to inflict further harm on river communities.

Barnaby Joyce, envoy for drought recovery and
 assistance, wants to give farmers environmental water.

The former deputy prime minister, who assumed his new role at the weekend, wants the Federal Government to "borrow" water so farmers can use it to grow crops to feed livestock.

He said the drought was an emergency and should be treated like a bushfire, which would allow for resources to be taken without seeking permission.

Read the ABC News story by Brett Worthington - “Barnaby Joyce's call to divert environmental water to drought-hit farmers panned by conservationists.”

(Well, Barnaby, climate change is an emergency and wouldn’t it be great if we were to implement the changes necessary to have Australians adapt to the quickly emerging difficulties without asking permission; changes we will soon have to make according to climate activist, Bill McKibben, as we are already in World War Three, the world, at least humanity, is at war with the damage it has done to the world’s environment - Robert McLean)

Barnaby Joyce names his price for support of the NEG, new pricing powers

Barnaby Joyce says he will support the Turnbull government's National Energy Guarantee on the condition that it creates a "plan B" to cut electricity prices in case the NEG doesn't work as promised.

Barnaby Joyce has threatened to cross the floor if his demands aren't met.

The former deputy prime minister, who has reserved the option of crossing the floor to oppose the plan, made the demand of Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg by phone on Saturday evening.

Mr Joyce proposed the government create a divestment power option as a threat to break up the energy firms in the event that they fail to cut power prices.

Read the story from The Age  - “Barnaby Joyce names his price for support of the NEG, new pricing powers.”

Barnaby Joyce’s exit has sparked some bizarre changes within the Coalition

The departure of Barnaby Joyce from the leadership of the Nationals has set off a bizarre transformation within the Coalition that could see the junior country party become more progressive as the Liberal Party lurches further to the right.

It's just a jump to the left ... and a step to the right. 

When Mr Joyce was still at the helm, the traditionalist Nationals extracted commitments from new Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull that cemented the Coalition’s conservative approach on key policy issues.

That deal included persistence with a plebiscite on gay marriage and a vow not to introduce an emissions-trading scheme.

Read the story by Paula Mathewson from The New Daily - “Barnaby Joyce’s exit has sparked some bizarre changes within the Coalition.”

Barnaby Joyce rejects petrol car sales ban amid Coalition debate on electric vehicles

Transport Minister Barnaby Joyce has quashed the prospect of Australia replicating overseas bans on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, as the Turnbull government debates whether to encourage the electric vehicle industry.

Barnaby Joyce: ''Australia's transport policies
are modelled on Australia's needs."

Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg this week strongly backed the prospects of electric vehicles in Australia against opposition from conservative backbenchers. He told Sky News on Tuesday that critics who ridiculed the technology would "probably be the ones buying them in a decade's time".

Read Nicole Hasham’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Barnaby Joyce rejects petrol car sales ban amid Coalition debate on electric vehicles.”

'Conflict of interest': Calls for Barnaby Joyce to sell CSG-linked land

Barnaby Joyce has been accused of a conflict of interest due to claims he could personally benefit from the Turnbull government's push to develop coal seam gas near land owned by the Deputy Prime Minister.

Property owned by Barnaby Joyce near Gwabegar,
described by locals as "mongrel country", fit for goats
 and not much else.

Mr Joyce, who is also the Resources Minister, missed a media event on Monday where the government demanded NSW accelerate approval of the Santos project at Narrabri, north-west of Sydney, to ease a looming gas shortage. He lists land at Gwabegar, west of Narrabri as part of his pecuniary interests.

While Mr Joyce said on Tuesday there is no prospect of gas being extracted on his land, local activists opposed to coal seam gas development say petroleum exploration licences all through the region depend on progress at Narrabri.  

The Nationals leader bought two blocks of about 1000 hectares in "mongrel country" of poor economic value in 2006 and 2008 for a reported $572,000.

Read Peter Hannam’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “‘Conflict of interest': Calls for Barnaby Joyce to sell CSG-linked land.”

Barnaby Joyce warns Tony Abbott over threat to cross Turnbull government

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has rebuked Tony Abbott for threatening to cross the floor of Parliament if any kind of clean energy target was pursued by the Turnbull government.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has warned
Tony Abbott against destabilising the Turnbull government. 

Mr Abbott spelt out his opposition to the one recommendation of the Finkel energy review that has not been embraced by the Coalition, saying it was "unconscionable for a government that was originally elected promising to abolish the carbon tax and to end Labor's climate obsessions to go further down this renewable path”.

"There should be no subsidies for further solar and wind because this is inherently unreliable and, again I say, we've got to move away from all this talk of renewable targets and have a reliable energy target," Mr Abbott told Sky News on Tuesday night.

The former Liberal prime minister said several MPs had "extremely serious reservations" about the government's clean energy target.

Read Stephanie Peatling’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Barnaby Joyce warns Tony Abbott over threat to cross Turnbull government.”

Barnaby Joyce: I'll support a clean energy target – if coal is included

The deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce says he’s prepared to support a clean energy target such as the one recommended by the chief scientist, Alan Finkel, if the Liberals agree to set a threshold allowing high-efficiency coal in the mix.

Barnaby Joyce plays catch with a lump of coal in
parliament in February. The deputy prime minister and
 Nationals leader wants ‘better coal-fired power stations’. 

Joyce told Guardian Australia on Thursday he was prepared to take a positive recommendation to the Nationals party room on the clean energy target if it was set at a level at which coal was eligible for certificates.

But he said the Nationals were not able to take a formal decision on the central recommendation of the Finkel review until cabinet has resolved where to set the threshold.

Read Katherine Murphy’s story on The Guardian - “Barnaby Joyce: I'll support a clean energy target – if coal is included.”

(Is Barnaby Joyce, stupid, naive, ideological blind, crazy like a fox or just plain crazy? Most every climate scientist in the world, well 97% and that in any terms is “most”, are convinced by the science that coal must remain where it is - in the ground; and most certainly not dug up, shipped to power generators here in Australia and around the world, burnt and in the process releasing carbon dioxide and worsening the world’s near insurmountable challenge with climate change - Robert McLean)

Coal to stay in energy mix for foreseeable future, says Barnaby Joyce

Barnaby Joyce says coal-fired power needs to remain in Australia’s energy mix for the foreseeable future and he has not ruled out the Turnbull government either indemnifying or funding a new power plant.

Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce sees coal as a
part of Australia foreseeable energy future.

In an interview with the ABC on Sunday morning as the government is considering its response to the Finkel review of the national electricity market, the deputy prime minster and Nationals leader said if coal was phased out “then your TVs should go dark and the lights go out”.

Australia should look to refurbishing coal-fired power stations nearing the end of their life, he said, and if there was a proposal in Queensland to construct new plants then “we wouldn’t rule out discussions” about Canberra indemnifying or financing the plant.

Read Katherine Murphy’s story on The Guardian - “Coal to stay in energy mix for foreseeable future, says Barnaby Joyce.”

This is not rhetoric: approving the Adani coal mine will kill people

Rarely have politicians demonstrated better their ignorance of the risks and opportunities confronting Australia than with Barnaby Joyce, Matt Canavan and other ministers' recent utterances on Adani and Galilee Basin coal, along with their petulant foot-stamping over Westpac's decision to restrict funding to new coal projects. Likewise, Bill Shorten sees no problem in supporting Adani.

The Adani mine by itself will push global temperatures
 above the threshold increase of 2 degrees.

The media are no better; discussion instantly defaults to important but secondary issues, such as Adani's concessional government loan, the project's importance to the economy, creating jobs for north Queenslanders and so on.

Read Ian Dunlop’s story on The Canberra Times - “This is not rhetoric: approving the Adani coal mine will kill people.”

Barnaby Joyce's 'duck pond' claim under fire as Adani coal row deepens

Barnaby Joyce has been called "irresponsible" by one of Australia's most senior conservationists after the Deputy Prime Minister dismissed wetlands adjoining Adani's Abbot Point coal port as little more than a "duck-shooting pond”.

Coal dust on the beaches next to
the Abbot Point coal loading facility. 

The brawl over Adani's threats to the onshore environment and the Great Barrier Reef escalated as Liberal backbencher Sarah Henderson broke ranks to question a potential $1 billion government loan to develop rail infrastructure for the Indian conglomerate's proposed Carmichael mine in Queensland's Galilee Basin.

Read Heath Aston’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Barnaby Joyce's 'duck pond' claim under fire as Adani coal row deepens.”

Adani mine needs $1bn public funding to go ahead, Barnaby Joyce says

The Adani Carmichael coalmine needs $1bn of government funds for a rail line because it is “a tipping point issue” to get the mine going, Barnaby Joyce has said.

Acting Prime Minister, Binary Joyce -
Adani rail $1bn "a tipping point issue."

The Nationals leader has given a full-throated defence of subsidising the mine, telling Radio National that Australians should support it because they are “citizens of the world” and warning those that oppose fossil fuels “if you live with the butterflies, you will die with the butterflies”.

Joyce, who is currently acting prime minister as Malcolm Turnbull is in India, where he has met mining magnate Gautam Adani, was asked about proposals to give a $900m concessional loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility for a rail line from the Adani mine to the port.

Joyce has previously supported the loan, although environmental groups warn it does not meet the criteria for the fund.

He called it a “great idea”, claiming it would open up the Galilee basin as a coal precinct, provide electricity in India and create 3,000 direct and 10,000 indirect jobs.

Read Paul Karp’s story on The Guardian - “Adani mine needs $1bn public funding to go ahead, Barnaby Joyce says.”

(It’s because I am a “citizen of the world” that I oppose the Adani Carmichael coalmine as anyone who is as Mr Joyce argues we should be, then we understand that people are vastly more important than short term profit - I refuse to legitimise his weepingly sad ideology and if Australia has a $1bn too spare, it should be applied to ensuring our public energy system is moved as quickly as possible to renewable energy. The public piggy bank should not be plundered to further enrich the already rich - Robert McLean)

Hazelwood closure: what it means for electricity prices and blackouts

Victoria’s Hazelwood power station will be shut down this week after nearly 50 years of supplying electricity.

Hazelwood’s closure does not mean
 imminent blackouts for Victoria.

The imminent closure has led to concerns about blackouts, raised most recently by Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, and rising electricity prices.

So what does the evidence suggest?

Last week The Age reported that Victoria is facing “72 days of possible power supply shortfalls over the next two years”. While that sounds bad, it does not mean the state is facing imminent blackouts.

This was based on a report from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), which is in charge of making sure that Australia’s energy markets work.

Read the piece on The Conversation by a researcher at the Australian German Climate and Energy College from the University of Melbourne,  Dylan McConnell - “Hazelwood closure: what it means for electricity prices and blackouts.”