Agriculture minister emphasises his opposition to federal approval of NSW mine, as Jacqui Lambie challenges him to appear with her on Q&A program

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Barnaby Joyce has said he opposed the $1.2bn Shenhua mine as agriculture minister, not as a local MP as Jacqui Lambie has joined the calls for him to resign.

The agriculture minister has strengthened his opposition to the Chinese-owned mine in the Liverpool Plains after the federal environment minister, Greg Hunt, approved it on Wednesday.

Barnaby Joyce says approval of Shenhua mine shows 'the world has gone mad' Read more

“It’s my view as the agricultre minister, I’m sort of agnostic about whether it’s in my electorate or not,” told Radio National on Friday morning.

“If somebody said we are going to put a mine in the middle of [another] plain I would say that’s not a good spot for a mine, that is a bad decision.”

On Thursday, Tony Abbott excused Joyce’s criticism of the decision by Hunt, saying Joyce was speaking as a local member.

Joyce sidestepped the question of whether the federal government was ignoring the advice of its agriculture minister, and said there were 17 steps for a mine approval and the commonwealth had a role in only one.

He said he planned to write to the New South Wales premier, Mike Baird, who is on holiday, and urge the NSW government not to allow the mine to go ahead. The acting premier and leader of the Nationals in NSW, Troy Grant, did not answer a question about whether he supported the mine, instead directing queries to the resources minister’s office.

The Labor party has tried to put pressure on Joyce to resign, saying if he was truly opposed to the mine he would step down from cabinet.

Joyce said: “That would make a lot of sense if I was in state government, the final approval lies with the state government.

“... what’s the point of doing it [resigning] if it doesn’t achieve anything?”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Joyce blames Labor for Shenhua Watermark mine in February recording.

Joyce has the support of his federal colleague, NSW senator Fiona Nash, though other Nationals have kept a lower profile on the issue.

“I completely support Barnaby Joyce in stating what is absolutely obvious: that mining should not occur on prime farmland,” she said.

The NSW resources minister, Anthony Roberts, has previously said Shenhua has not applied for a mining lease and the state government approval would be dependent on the company complying with environment and planning laws.

The former independent Tony Windsor, who held Joyce’s seat of New England, has been spurred by the mining approval to consider a return to politics and a potential run against Joyce in the federal election, due in 2016.

Joyce has dismissed Windsor, saying he opposed projects only when he could not make any money out of them.

“I always find it surprising that someone who is a multimillionaire because he sold his property to a coalmine is now the champion talking about stopping a coalmine,” he said.

Asked specificically if Windsor could be a threat to Joyce’s seat he responded: “It’s a free country I’d welcome him back, if he wants to stand again, go right ahead.”

The federal senator Jacqui Lambie has joined the calls for Joyce to resign, releasing a YouTube video saying that prime agriculture land in her home state of Tasmania could be at risk.

“How can any Tasmanian farmer trust the Liberal federal government not to allow mining on their prime agricultural land?” she said.

“And yes Barnaby, I agree with you, it is ridiculous to put a mine in the middle of Australia’s best agricultural land, but what’s even more ridiculous is that we’ve got a local member who is also minister for agriculture and he has allowed this to happen on his watch.

“And no, Barnaby, you haven’t done everything in your power to stop the mine. You could resign from the frontbench because obviously the Liberals have no respect for you or the Nationals.”

Lambie challenged Joyce to appear with her on 28 July on ABC’s Q&A program, which he declined to appear on this week after the prime minister intervened.

“Stop being the Liberal’s lap dog and bring back the old Nationals attack dog, where’s the blue heeler, Barnaby?” Lambie said.