Peter Wicks contemplates a future in which Barnaby Joyce might be replaced by Fiona Nash as Deputy Prime Minister.

I'M NOT USUALLY one for hypotheticals but given the high chances of this happening, I thought it warranted reminding people about who our possible future deputy prime minister may be.

Despite the polls, despite the momentum and despite the lack of direction and dud policies, there is still a reasonable chance that theCoalition will be returned to government.

With a Liberal prime minister, this leaves the deputy PM’s role in the hands of the Nationals, currently led by Barnaby Joyce.

While the prospect of a full term of government with Barnaby as Deputy is a terrifying thought, there is another hypothetical that is looking increasingly more likely and is perhaps just as frightening.

Barnaby Joyce could lose his seat of New England to Tony Windsor — something I would welcome.

If that were the case, the position of leader and possible deputy PM’s role, would fall to the current Deputy Leader of the National Party, Fiona Nash. While some may see Nash as a welcome replacement to Joyce, a look back at her contribution to the Coalition’s term in government may lead to second thoughts.

David Koch quits government role on air, tells Fiona Nash to 'get a backbone' http://t.co/zxYKowdV5B via @smh

— Ming The Merciless (@MGliksmanMDPhD) May 27, 2015

David Koch, the host of Sunrise, has suggested live on air that Nash needed to

“Get a backbone.”

Quite a strong statement from the host of a show not known for pushing the envelope and ripping into politicians. So what pushed Koch to spit the dummy live on TV?

Koch was enraged that Nash, as Assistant Health Minister, had made the decision that the best way to increase the organ donation numbers was via a taxpayer-funded and hugely expensive inquiry that would do vastly more for industry lobby groups than it would for those clinging to life and waiting for an organ to become available.

https://independentaustralia.net/article-display/could-the-next-deputy-pm-be-worse-than-barnaby-joyce,9090

 

You should not worry Peter. Should our poor silver spoon fed battler from Vaucluse be absent or has resigned, the CONservative government would have a back up — Tony Abbott, ready to take over the gig with the same brio as before...

 

Barnaby Tomato Joyce said without cracking a lip that the choice of Armidale to relocate the agency to Armidale, his electorate, was purely accidental... Bullshit. Plenty of Bull in his electorate. Anyway, despite nearly everyone in the APVMA opposing the move, BTJ has the support of the Don (Don Burke) who says it's a great move... BTJ announced:

"Armidale has NBN, excellent cafes, art galleries, a university, cathedrals, quality health services, small bars, quality schools and a welcoming community."

Wow! better served than Newtown with the NBN ! More cathedrals than in Rome and Pisa combined ! More small bars than in Rome, Newtown and Pisa combined !What else do you want? Lattés?

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The forced move of a public service agency from Canberra to northern NSW will rip more than $157 million a year from the capital's economy as well as costing the ACT region 365 jobs.

The shock figures are contained in the long-awaited cost-benefit analysis of the forced move of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority by accounting group Ernst and Young.

The study shreds the economic rationale for the move, finding the benefits to the Australian economy are "modest" and the advantages for the agency itself are "limited".

It was also revealed on Friday that taxpayers were to be hit with a $25.6 million bill just to move the authority from Canberra to the heart of Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce's northern NSW electorate.

Mr Joyce made the cost public on Friday while claiming the endorsement of former Burke's Backyard TV presenter Don Burke for the controversial move, which has been condemned as "blatant pork barrelling" by Labor.

Industry lobby groups CropLife Australia and Animal Medicines Australia added their voices to the chorus of opposition on Friday, as both groups said they opposed the move to Armidale.

The cost revelation came as the Coalition government bypassed Parliament to get moving the controversial forced relocation from Canberra to northern NSW the 175 public servants working at Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority.

read more:

http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/4317925/barnaby-joyce-orders-a...

The Morrison Government is promising funds for drought relief, but a closer look reveals a severe case of economic mismanagement, writes Belinda Jones. 

AUSTRALIANS HAVE ALWAYS had a very proud history of rising to the challenge during adversity, of digging deep and helping our mates – particularly our farmers – when times get tough. 

In our wide, beautiful, sunburnt country of sweeping plains and flooding rains, the conditions are often very tough. Tough conditions bring out the very best in people and, on occasion, they also bring out the very worst in people. This is such a case. The Morrison Government appears to be playing politics at the worst possible time, at the expense of drought-ravaged communities, by pork-barrelling drought funding.

Let that sink in. 

Scott Morrison and a variety of Ministers are currently touring drought-ravaged areas to spruik the Government’s $7 billion drought package. These visits promise the world but deliver very little. In fact, the vast majority of the $7 billion drought package remains unspent and will continue to remain unspent — locked in a “Future Drought Fund”. The Prime Minister says that the Future Drought Fund would ensure “money aside for non-rainy days in the future”. The Prime Minister thinks the non-rainy days of the present are deserving of photo opportunities but undeserving of his funded empathy.

In Dalby, last week, for another deliberate drought photo opportunity, Scott Morrison announced details about his Government’s drought package, including further funding for 13 councils in drought-ravaged areas, receiving $1 million.

One council, Moyne Council, in Victoria was shocked to hear it was one of the 13 newly announced recipients of $1 million. It was so shocking because they’re not in drought.

 

Read more:

https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/pork-barrelli...

 

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Barnaby Joyce and the coal-loving Morrison Government’s "jobs for the boys" and inaction on climate are only exacerbating the circumstances that lead to drought and other disasters, writes executive editor Michelle Pini.

ANOTHER DAY, another embarrassing and shameful example of Government incompetence.

The latest domestic disaster (an international one involving our PM and impeachment of the U.S. President is still unfolding as this goes to publication) involves a crippling drought. And a certain “drought envoy”. Oh, and an assorted array of Government ministers charged with managing our environment.

BARNABY'S UNFUNDED EMPATHY

But let’s start with the former Special Envoy for Drought Assistance Barnaby Joyce. Joyce was stripped of his role as Deputy Prime Minister when multifarious rorts and hypocrisies involving his mistress finally became impossible to hide, following her pregnancy and his estrangement from his family. For reasons that appear to be known only to the PM, Joyce was then handed the pretend role of “envoy”. Some have suggested this was intended to placate Joyce after he cried poor and compared himself to people on Newstart, who receive $14,454 per annum.

To be fair, after losing the Deputy PM gig, which paid a base salary of around $433,000 per annum (or 30 times the Newstart payment) – plus staff, plus expenses –Joyce was only receiving $211,000 (or 14 times the Newstart payment) – plus expenses – as a backbencher. It was tough on the guy, who declared himself Australia’s “elected deputy prime minister” and then proceeded to share details of his hardships — which included living without a dishwasher and being forced to only indulge in one purchased cup of coffee per day!

 

 

Read more:

https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/how-barnaby-a...

 

 

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