Barnaby Joyce tape recording: Call to dump him for stopping ‘Greenies’ comment

THERE are growing calls for federal Water Minister Barnaby Joyce to be stripped of his portfolio after he was recorded telling farmers he took control of water to stop “greenies running the show”.

Mr Joyce is heard telling those at a Shepparton pub on Wednesday night that an ABC Four Corners investigation into alleged water rorting in the Murray Darling Basin was trying to “create a calamity”.

“It’s about them trying to take more water off you … shut more of your towns down,” he says in the recording.

He admits the National Party took responsibility for water from the environment portfolio and into his agriculture portfolio to “look after” farmers.

“We’ve taken water and put it back into agriculture so we can look after you and make sure we don’t have the greenies running the show basically sending you out the back door.

“That was a hard ask but we did it.”

Responsibility for water was handed to the Nationals as part of the party’s coalition agreement with the Liberal Party in 2015.

Source: Barnaby Joyce tape recording: Call to dump him for stopping ‘Greenies’ comment | Perth Now