Rachel Southwell, Traralgon
I AM disgusted by the Victorian National Party’s boys’ club carrying on like feral schoolkids in reaction to Barnaby Joyce’s return to the deputy prime ministership and the demotion of Darren Chester from Cabinet.
Trying to undermine the federal government in the middle of the international turmoil caused by COVID-19, China’s banging of war drums in the South China Sea, and Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is just disgraceful.
Yet they would try to force the federal government into minority status through their failed plan to disaffiliate the Victorian Nationals from their federal colleagues.
I say that’s selfish, and not much different from treason.
Even worse, they don’t congratulate their colleague Bridget McKenzie on being promoted to Cabinet, or in becoming the sixth female Cabinet minister, setting a new Australian record for most women in the Cabinet.
The Age newspaper even reported that the boys’ club wanted to cancel her Senate pre-selection because she dared to vote for Barnaby in the leadership spill, instead of just doing what the boys club told her to do.
Also, why is Darren Chester praising the Victorian Nationals for a “balanced approach” to climate change, and why are they supporting the “net zero” plan to shutdown our economy (‘Chester’s climate change caution’, 13/7)?
Net zero isn’t a balanced policy, it is a wacky green policy promoted by the arrogant inner-city left with easy salaried desk jobs, earning six figures to work from home when many people working in shops and small businesses have had to go without during lockdowns, and who would suffer most from higher power prices and unreliable energy policy.
Global warming is such an irrelevance compared to the major issues we face to protect people’s health and rescue our economy.
Besides, the Victorian Nationals had 10 seats at the start of Peter Walsh’s leadership, and got reduced to seven at the 2018 election.
The Victorian Nationals have never done as badly at an election before as that, so who are Peter Walsh and Steph Ryan to be lecturing their federal colleagues on anything?
At least Barnaby Joyce has actually achieved the office of Deputy PM and won a general election as leader in 2016.
