Barnaby Joyce has declared Malcolm Turnbull can win the next election for the Coalition, because he is delivering for regional Australia, and people in the bush think Bill Shorten’s approach is “sneaky”.



Joyce on Thursday night dug in vehemently behind Turnbull, who is under acute political pressure courtesy of the escalating citizenship crisis, and has been under attack from internal detractors, with the latest blue-on-blue attack a cabinet leak about the government’s internal deliberations about the proposed disclosure regime ensuring parliamentarians meet the constitutional requirements.

While Joyce has been liberal in recent weeks with his criticism of government colleagues, such as Stephen Parry, who didn’t disclose questions about his dual citizenship at the time Nationals were referred to the high court, stirring the Coalition pot – he has launched a robust defence of the prime minister.

“I know Malcolm,” Joyce told the ABC on Thursday night, from Armidale, where he is campaigning in the New England byelection. “I think he is the best thing for our nation.”

He emphasised Turnbull’s support for regional development. “In these times, I know that working with Malcolm Turnbull, we’ve got the money on the table for inland rail, for dams, we are pushing a decentralisation agenda to re-invigorate regional towns.”

“These things are actually happening,” Joyce said.

With the government and Labor still brawling about the terms of the new disclosure regime to ensure MPs are not dual citizens, Joyce attempted to heap pressure on the opposition about problems various MPs might have with eligibility.

Turnbull, who is en route to an international summit in Vietnam, earlier on Thursday accused Shorten of attempting to “protect” Labor MPs who appeared to be in breach of the constitution by asking the government not to unilaterally refer them to the high court.

The rolling debacle was further complicated on Thursday, when Turnbull advised the NXT lower house MP Rebekha Sharkie that she might have to refer herself to the high court because her renunciation of British citizenship was not effective by the date she nominated for parliament.

Joyce said while Shorten had emphasised that Labor’s vetting procedures were comprehensive, he said there was “no evidence from Penny Wong, no evidence from Tanya Plibersek, no evidence from Dougie Cameron, they just keep on saying, ‘trust us’.”

“We could have used that line, Mr Shorten, but we didn’t – myself, [Fiona] Nash and [Matt] Canavan put ourselves before the high court.”

“Penny Wong has not proven that she isn’t a Malaysian, she probably isn’t, but she has never proven it, Dougie Cameron has never proven it.”

“You have to prove it, especially we’ve been to the high court and suffered slings and arrows and don’t have a job because of it.”