I write in response to “The political version of training wheels: New support unit set up to help Barnaby Joyce with government-wide issues” (NDL, April 26, 2016).
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The existence of such a unit within various departments – depending on the portfolio held by the deputy prime minister of the day – is not new, despite Wayne Swan and your political reporter’s suggestion to the contrary.
The unit in the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources was modelled on the unit established by the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Develop- ment when former deputy prime minister Warren Truss held those portfolio responsibilities.
That Mr Swan was not given similar support from his department when deputy prime minister is a shame.
Such support might have prevented Labor’s poorly thought-out policy nightmares, such as the ban on live exports, the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal and the pink batts fiasco, which harmed families and communities right across the nation.
Barnaby Joyce
Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources