NEW England residents have said they are fed up with MP Barnaby Joyce's inaction on climate change, and are not surprised by new data showing the majority of voters in every Nationals-held seat in the country, want more done.
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The deputy prime minister has taken the stance that Australia should not sign up to any emissions targets, or take drastic action on climate change, until the government and public sees what it would cost.
However, locals have said Mr Joyce has his "head in the sand" if he can't find that data, and the cost of not acting is worse than any price the public may have to pay in order to enact change.
"I think the modelling has been done, just look at some of the work by the Australian Institute and lots of other researchers," Somerton cattle farmer Wayne Chaffey said.
"I think that's just putting your head in the sand, there's a lot of accounting that's been done and modelling for all of these separate areas."
According to the survey recently completed by You Gov, which polled more than 15,000 people, 53 per cent of the New England electorate said climate was important to their vote, 55 per cent said the government should do more on climate change, and only 45 per cent supported fossil fuels in the energy mix.
Mr Joyce has hit back though, and said he would be surprised if people were actually willing to accept the hit to their wallets, if it came down to that.
"What you've always got to tell people is the other side of the action they want," he said.
"And it's a case with all of these things of 'does that mean we can do anything, does that mean it can cost you any price it comes up with' - well of course not.
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"Everybody wants to know how much it's going to cost, how it affects their job and how you're going to do it, because there are ways to do it but if you just say it's a blank cheque, then that's a very dangerous thing to give to any politician."
He questioned whether Mr Chaffey and his wife Nell would have the same attitude if the solution was to put a licence on how many cattle they could have, in order to force a methane reduction.
The fact Mr Joyce and the government are not fully aware of the cost of acting on climate change is a massive problem though, according Australian Parents for Climate Action Tamworth member, Helen Cameron.
"I think it's actually irresponsible of the government not to have this mapped out already, and the coalition actually squashed a climate change bill to be legislated this year that would have progressed this issue," she said.
"So I guess it's really frustrating to hear that's the excuse that is being offered up."
She also noted a number of studies that have been done which map out how the nation could switch to renewable energy, and what the price of that would be.
Mr Joyce remained adamant he was across the situation however, and said he's hesitant to sacrifice any jobs as part of climate action.
"No I haven't [got my head in the sand], and there's also other people that have to pay for this and they live in South Tamworth and they have jobs," he said.
"And if my decision means someone in Petra Avenue doesn't have a job, that's also got to be taken into account."
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