Just when you thought it could not get worse for the Federal Coalition, Barnaby Joyce breaks free of his leash and attacks their Net Zero Emissions by 2050 policy. 

It looks like a few others from the Coalition are joining the pack, but could they end up just being scavengers on the Coalition carcass?

Granted, Australia’s grass-fed beef cattle industry organisation, Cattle Australia, has said net zero by 2030 is not achievable. 

That is only five years away, so they might have a point. 

We can wait to see which other sector puts their hand up and say ‘no can do’.

But the Coalition policy is for net zero by 2050. 

I’ll be 90 years old by then and hoping like hell someone has managed to do something to stop the pernicious spread of climate change. 

If they haven’t it will be farmers who pay the highest price. 

More droughts, more floods, more algal blooms … one unholy mess with humans to blame.

What frustrates me the most about the Coalition tussles over this is that it is not really about climate change. It is about power struggles. Barnaby Joyce realises he has zero chance – about like zero emissions – of ever being Nationals leader again. 

To quote ANU political analyst Jill Sheppard’s analysis of last week’s return to Federal Parliament after the winter recess: ‘Restless politicians reliably create havoc for their leaders’.

So what is Barnaby’s plan? 

He’s going to submit a private members bill to the Parliament to repeal the very legislation he was instrumental in signing off for the Nationals in 2021, in exchange for an extra seat in the Morrison cabinet.  

Now he has signed up another former Nationals leader, Member for Riverina Michael McCormack. 

The one thing they have in common is wishing David
Littleproud was not leading the party.

Why do I think it is more about power than it is policy? 

Because the private members bill is doomed before it is even presented to the parliament. 

Labor has 94 MPs, the Coalition 43. 

You don’t have to be a mathematician to work out that other than a mutiny in the Labor party, it is going to be whimper not a bang.

It also goes partly to explain why David Littleproud foolishly walked away from the Coalition agreement in the first few weeks after the last federal election. 

The wolves from within his own party were sniffing and growling at the door.

If there is a change in the Nationals leadership, it won’t bode well for Liberal leader Sussan Ley.

She is probably the leader-in-waiting with yet her own fellow Liberals biding their time to strike at the leadership when the iron is hot. 

Barnaby Joyce cares little about that having publicly stated ‘We’re not gelded, we’re not emasculated. We’re very much virile and out there’.

I’ll leave that image with you.

The entire July 30, 2025 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!

The entire July 30, 2025 edition of AgLife is available online. READ IT HERE!