Michael McCormack raises eyebrows saying his party is ‘aligned with One Nation’ more than Labor or Greens

The Nationals leader, Michael McCormack, has unveiled a new statutory authority for water infrastructure in an effort to contain a bush boilover at the election – and has declared his party is happy to enter preference deals with One Nation because their policies align.

McCormack used a speech to the National Press Club on Tuesday to unveil a new Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility-style body for dams, with the new body charged with using “the best available science” to examine how large-scale water diversion projects could be established to deliver reliable and cost-effective water to farmers and regional communities.

Barnaby Joyce says he got 'more sense' out of officials after sacking department boss Read more

The Nationals leader recognised there was “a big clamour” to pause the Murray-Darling plan in some parts of regional Australia – a backlash threatening Liberal and National incumbents. But he argued reopening that process would give the Greens “an opportunity to make it even a more environmental document than it already is”.

While he argued against pausing the plan, McCormack decried water buybacks as “lazy policy” and said there shouldn’t be more buybacks to allocate water to the environment than envisaged under the current arrangements.

The Nationals leader was also asked whether he endorsed comments from Barnaby Joyce, who said he sacked the head of the agriculture department Paul Grimes “to remind him where the authority starts from” and noted he “got a lot more sense” out of bureaucrats after the firing.

That revelation was contained in a report by The Project on Monday evening, in which Joyce repeated that he did not know the directors of Eastern Australia Agriculture despite acknowledging he may have done accountancy work for the previous owner of two properties at the centre of controversial $80m water buybacks.

While it wasn’t clear that Joyce’s comments about sacking Grimes were connected in any way to the current controversy over the EAA water buybacks, the Nationals leader responded to the question by saying “the auditor general will look at all of those, all of those buybacks, all of those purchases, all of those sales”.

McCormack also defended a decision by the Nationals to enter into preference deals with One Nation, echoing the “whatever it takes” language famously invoked by the Labor powerbroker Graham Richardson. McCormack said the Nationals needed to do “what it takes to get votes and to win at an election”.

Australian election quiz 2019: how much do you remember of this forgettable campaign? Read more

While many Nationals argue the way to hold their ground with a disaffected heartland is to differentiate from One Nation and other protest parties to give people a reason to stick with a major party, McCormack suggested on Tuesday the Nationals were almost indistinguishable from Pauline Hanson’s party – a characterisation that will raise eyebrows internally.

McCormack said National party policies “aligned with One Nation” rather than with Labor or the Greens.

Asked whether it was a good look for the Nationals to be close to a party that courted the American gun lobby, and where the party leader in Queensland hung out in strip clubs, given their core supporters were socially conservative, McCormack said Steve Dickson’s behaviour was “abhorrent”.

McCormack faces ongoing speculation about his leadership of the party, with Barnaby Joyce making it clear he would like to return to the leadership in the event he was able to secure support from the majority of his colleagues.

The Nationals leader was asked on Tuesday whether there was an inevitability about Joyce returning to the party leadership given the constant internal ructions.

McCormack said his future was in the hands of his colleagues after the election, but he defended his record. “The fact is that I’m getting in behind the scenes, and Scott Morrison and I have got a very good relationship – a very, very good relationship – and I hope that that continues long into the future.

One Nation's Steve Dickson resigns over strip club footage Read more

“But the fact is, in a democracy, when you’re in a party, the positions become vacant after an election. That’s the case with every political party. The fact is, if somebody wants to put their hand up, they’re entitled to do so.

“But I’ll stand on my record. I’ll stand on the fact that what I’ve done for regional Australia, and whilst I might not go out and spruik my case in the national media, the fact is that I’m getting out and meeting real people in country towns, in town hall meetings and actually achieving real results for them.”