Doorstop interview: BARNABY JOYCE, MURRAY DARLING BASIN

MURRAY WATT: Well, it’s another day and we are here again for the soap opera that is the National Party here in Canberra. The National Party hold themselves out as the champions of regional Australia. They say they are the only party that cares about regional Australia and they represent regional Australia more than anyone else. In fact, their record shows the opposite. They’ve got their $5 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund [that] hasn’t funded a single project in regional Queensland in nearly three years. They’ve got regional jobs and investment funds that haven’t done anything either. Their record actually shows that they haven’t delivered to regional Australia, whatever they might say.

Now, the really sad part about all of this is that regional Australia desperately wants their National Party MPs to be focused on regional jobs but instead the National Party MPs are only focused on one job, and it is the job of Deputy Prime Minister here in Canberra. The National Party MPs on the Senate side and House of Representatives side are so distracted by this scandal that they cannot focus on the thing that their own voters want, which is regional jobs.

The sooner this is brought to a head. The sooner that the Prime Minister intervenes and gets rid of Barnaby Joyce. The sooner that National Party MPs can get back to doing their real job, which is focussing on regional Australians.

JOURNALIST: Will Labor be supporting be supporting the Greens’ disallowance motion in regards to the Murray Darling Basin?

WATT: Well, we’re still finalising our position on that. There are negotiations underway between the Opposition and the Government about that as we speak. We do have some concerns. In principal we have been supportive of this disallowance motion – there have been some real issues raised around water theft. We think that the disallowance, that the plan has been rushed. But, I understand there are negotiations underway and it may be that we can find a way through it.

JOURNALIST: There was some The Australian Institute analysis that came out today that shows the changes, the proposed amendments, would allow states to change the amount of water they can take between valleys without any scientific or socio-economic analysis. So essentially that means its behind closed doors – there’s less parliamentary process there. That aspect of the amendments gets less coverage. Is that a concern for you?

WATT: As I say, I think it is probably best if I leave it for Tony Burke, our spokesperson, to comment on the detail of this. He is involved in negotiations with the Government and I am sure that they are some of the factors that he will be taking into account.

JOURNALIST: And just on Barnaby Joyce, do you think he can credibly act as Acting Prime Minister next week?

WATT: Absolutely not. And more importantly than what I think, none of his own party think he can either. I mean, I was in the Senate last night – every time we have a vote you see little huddles of National Party Senators getting together. I don’t think they are talking about, you know, water or jobs or anything like that. They’re talking about how they can get rid of Barnaby as quickly as they can. They are so distracted by this they’ve forgotten what they have actually been brought here to do.

JOURNALIST: On a different matter, just wondering about, it’s our first session for the year – I was wondering about your goals, your personal goals?

WATT: My personal goals – wow, no-one’s asked me that. Well, to get back out on the Soccer field – that would be a good start. I had a little bit of a trot around last week, but pulled up a little bit sore.

But look, I mean as a Senator for Queensland, you obviously represent the whole state. My office is on the Gold Coast. We’ve got the Commonwealth Games coming up there and people are really looking forward, not only to that event, but making sure that South East Queensland and the Gold Coast have a really bright future past the Commonwealth Games. Making sure that we have a diverse economy down there, with lots of different kinds of jobs for people.

But obviously I also spend a lot of time in regional Queensland. That is an area that has been hurting a lot in recent years, post the mining boom. It’s looking for Government to step forward and sort of map out what the future of the economy is going to be. That’s why I was up in Gladstone with Bill Shorten last Friday talking about the real jobs that we see coming for regional Queensland. And I look forward to doing a lot more of that over the year.

JOURNALIST: How do you see the future up there then?

WATT: In regional Queensland? Look I think it’s really promising. You know, unfortunately the debate about regional Queensland and its future has become really focused on one particular mining project. There are many in the LNP, and I have to say many in the media, who seem to think that is the only thing going on in regional Queensland. You know, nothing could be further from the truth.

There is a lot of mining activity still going there, but it’s also got a big tourism industry. Lots of international students coming out. It’s got Agriculture obviously. There’s a whole range of industries, so I think it’s got a bright future but it does need Government getting behind it and giving it a bit of a steer.

Ok. Thanks everyone.