NEW England MP Barnaby Joyce has hit back after Shenhua Watermark’s project manager dubbed him a “xenophobic loony”.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Joyce said the slur, made by Paul Jackson and reported in The Australian yesterday, was “desperately disappointing”.
He said his opposition to Shenhua’s planned coal mine on the Liverpool Plains had nothing to do with the company being Chinese.
“I do think that shows the rather abrupt nature of Mr Jackson,” he said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tony Abbott says Mr Joyce is doing an “outstanding” job and remains safe in his portfolio of Agriculture Minister.
Mr Joyce has been feeling the heat from some within the Coalition over his outspoken criticism of the government’s approval of the mine last week.
“He is doing an outstanding job – he is passionate, committed, knowledgeable,” Mr Abbott told reporters while visiting a NSW farm yesterday.
