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| War of words: I would have been sacked if I said that, says Barnaby Joyce War of words: I would have been sacked if I said that, says Barnaby Joyce | |
| (12 days later) | |
| Barnaby Joyce reckons he would be sacked if he lashed out with the same expletive-ridden tirade the South Australian water minister, Ian Hunter, has been accused of. | Barnaby Joyce reckons he would be sacked if he lashed out with the same expletive-ridden tirade the South Australian water minister, Ian Hunter, has been accused of. |
| Hunter is alleged to have levelled a string of colourful insults at the acting prime minister as well as other state water ministers and their staff at a dinner in Adelaide on Thursday night to discuss the Murray river rescue plan. | Hunter is alleged to have levelled a string of colourful insults at the acting prime minister as well as other state water ministers and their staff at a dinner in Adelaide on Thursday night to discuss the Murray river rescue plan. |
| Joyce would not confirm what happened in the room, joking he’d leave that up to Hunter to explain his “loquacious nature”. | Joyce would not confirm what happened in the room, joking he’d leave that up to Hunter to explain his “loquacious nature”. |
| “But if it happened to me, they’d say ‘come here Charlie Chapman you’re outta here’,” the agriculture minister told reporters in Darwin on Saturday. | “But if it happened to me, they’d say ‘come here Charlie Chapman you’re outta here’,” the agriculture minister told reporters in Darwin on Saturday. |
| “What was in the room will stay in the room” Joyce said, but called for Hunter to apologise to some of those involved. | “What was in the room will stay in the room” Joyce said, but called for Hunter to apologise to some of those involved. |
| “It’s quite obvious you can’t go through a room full of staff screaming at them,” he said. | “It’s quite obvious you can’t go through a room full of staff screaming at them,” he said. |
| Joyce rejected calls from Hunter for his dismissal. | Joyce rejected calls from Hunter for his dismissal. |
| “The next day he called for me to be sacked – I couldn’t quite work that one out,” he said. | “The next day he called for me to be sacked – I couldn’t quite work that one out,” he said. |
| Hunter is furious at the lack of action by the federal government to provide an extra 450 gigalitres of environmental water flows down the river. | Hunter is furious at the lack of action by the federal government to provide an extra 450 gigalitres of environmental water flows down the river. |
| The South Australian premier, Jay Weatherill, played down the incident, saying no complaint had been raised with him about the outburst. | The South Australian premier, Jay Weatherill, played down the incident, saying no complaint had been raised with him about the outburst. |
| But he reminded the minister of his obligations to behave appropriately and not use foul language. | But he reminded the minister of his obligations to behave appropriately and not use foul language. |
| He said he had spoken with Hunter, and that no complaint had been raised with him about the state minister’s actions. | He said he had spoken with Hunter, and that no complaint had been raised with him about the state minister’s actions. |
| Weatherill said South Australia was determined not to be dudded by the commonwealth on the rescue plan and would fight for what was promised. | Weatherill said South Australia was determined not to be dudded by the commonwealth on the rescue plan and would fight for what was promised. |
| He vowed to raise the issue with the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull. | He vowed to raise the issue with the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull. |
| “The upstream states have been damaging and depleting this river for over a century,” he told reporters on Saturday. | “The upstream states have been damaging and depleting this river for over a century,” he told reporters on Saturday. |
| “We have a historic agreement and just because it’s rained for a few months the Liberal party has seized on the opportunity to walk away.” | “We have a historic agreement and just because it’s rained for a few months the Liberal party has seized on the opportunity to walk away.” |
| Weatherill said Hunter felt passionately about the river and protecting the state’s interests. | Weatherill said Hunter felt passionately about the river and protecting the state’s interests. |
| But he said he had reminded the minister of his obligations to behave appropriately and to not use foul language. | But he said he had reminded the minister of his obligations to behave appropriately and to not use foul language. |
| “That’s what I expect of him,” Weatherill said. | “That’s what I expect of him,” Weatherill said. |
| “I’ve simply repeated the advice that I’ve given to all of my ministers.” | “I’ve simply repeated the advice that I’ve given to all of my ministers.” |
| After Friday’s meeting, Joyce said it was “bleeding obvious” that extra environmental flows down the Murray could not be delivered under the current deal. | After Friday’s meeting, Joyce said it was “bleeding obvious” that extra environmental flows down the Murray could not be delivered under the current deal. |
| He said the legislation required there be no social or economic impacts to river communities and that was simply not possible. | He said the legislation required there be no social or economic impacts to river communities and that was simply not possible. |
| Hunter declined to comment on his actions or what was said but pledged to continue to stand up for SA’s interests. | Hunter declined to comment on his actions or what was said but pledged to continue to stand up for SA’s interests. |
| “I’m not going to talk about what I might have said in a private meeting, that’s not what I do,” he said. | “I’m not going to talk about what I might have said in a private meeting, that’s not what I do,” he said. |