Latest news with #DanTehan
News.com.au
6 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce's bizarre act on live TV
Barnaby Joyce has bizarrely pretended to be a bull in a live television interview as he lectured Coalition Minister Dan Tehan on the difference between a steer and the animal. Mr Tehan had compared Mr Joyce to a steer after he and fellow Nationals MP Michael McCormack dropped a bomb when they joined forces to support a private member's bill to repeal net-zero. Mr Tehan, who represents a rural electorate, labelled the pair as 'two steers fighting in a neighbour's paddock'. Responding to Mr Tehan in an interview on Sky News, Mr Joyce said 'Steers don't fight, we castrate them so they don't'. 'Steers have their testicles removed and they sit happily in the paddock and they eat grass' 'Bulls, moo, bulls fight.' The moo was delivered as a sound effect by Mr Joyce, as he raised his index fingers to his forehead, and emulated a bull. Host Kieran Gilbert later said 'I've got to admit, I almost lost it' when Mr Joyce performed his impression. His bovine impression came as Nationals leader David Littleproud defended his leadership of the party under pressure from Mr Joyce and Mr McCormack. Mr Joyce and Mr McCormack are both now backbenchers, after being dumped from the shadow ministry following Peter Dutton's emphatic election loss. But leadership ambitions abound in the 19-member group in Canberra, as Mr McCormack refused to rule out a leadership tilt in an interview with The Australian. 'When a journo says 'will you ever rule yourself out of ever (becoming leader)', of course you are not going to agree to that,' he said. 'You're not going to rule yourself out in the future.' For his part, Mr Joyce said he would 'happily back Michael for leader', despite saying he was not agitating for any change. Thursday's antics only added to another bizarre moment on Wednesday in which Mr McCormack described himself and Mr Joyce as 'virile' in an interview with Sky. Under this increasing backbench pressure Mr Littleproud insisted he is not looking 'over my shoulder' in an interview on the ABC. 'I look to making sure I'm focused on my job because if I'm focused on myself, I'm not focused on the people who put me here, and I'll stand by my record as a Leader of The Nationals.' He listed what he saw as his achievements such as introducing nuclear and supermarket divestiture into the Coalition platform and opposition to the Voice to Parliament. He said instead of focusing on dissent from his backbench, he is 'thinking about trying to leave a legacy for the people I lead'. 'No matter how long I'm here for, I want to be able to look back and say I did it in a respectful way. 'And what I'm focused on is delivering outcomes. 'I've created a process for a discussion within our party room. 'Backbenchers can have Private Members' Bills, but I've got a lead for the entirety of my party, not for individuals. 'And so what I'll do is make sure I listen to my party room and draw on the collective wisdom of that party room. 'That's how I lead.' Opposition to net-zero emissions targets by 2050 has become a sticking point for Nationals backbenchers, as it is seen by the party's base to be harmful to their regional communities. It has proved a problem for Liberal leader Sussan Ley who is trying to renegotiate the Coalition's platform following its May 3 election defeat. The division already caused a split in the Coalition as the Nationals and Liberal Party spent a week apart following the election. Both parties reunited a week later with the Liberals making concessions to key Nationals policy priorities.
Sky News AU
16-07-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
‘Where are they going to live?': Labor's immigration and housing targets questioned
Shadow Energy Minister Dan Tehan discusses the skyrocketing immigration rates under the Albanese government and their inability to house the influx of newcomers. 'Once again talk a huge game and then cannot deliver a single thing, it's quite extraordinary,' Mr Tehan told Sky News host Chris Kenny. 'The question still remains, where are all these people going to live? As you know, we've seen recently treasurer documents that have been leaked show Labor are not going to meet their housing targets and yet their immigration targets, rather than going down as Anthony Albanese promised they would, continue to grow at extraordinary rates.'
Sky News AU
11-07-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
Victoria blasted for ‘demonising' gas in their renewables-only crusade
Shadow Energy Minister Dan Tehan says the Victorian government has 'demonised' gas in their renewables-only approach. This comes as Red Energy, the country's fourth largest energy retailer, will slap its customers with fresh electricity price hikes in a major blow to thousands of Victorian families. 'Now in Victoria, what we are seeing to try and overcome these delays, is they are taking property rights away from farmers,' Mr Tehan told Sky News Australia. 'It's because they haven't got the plan right, and in particularly, because they have focused on renewables only.'
Sky News AU
11-07-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
Chris Bowen makes ‘complete mess' of Australia's energy grid
Shadow Energy Minister Dan Tehan says Chris Bowen has made a 'complete mess' of Australia's electricity transition. This comes as Red Energy, the country's fourth largest energy retailer, will slap its customers with fresh electricity price hikes in a major blow to thousands of Victorian families. 'Everywhere you look, it's a mess, and the one thing that he doesn't want to answer is: what is the cost of this mess?' Mr Tehan told Sky News Australia.
The Age
29-06-2025
- Politics
- The Age
LNP's ‘wait and see' policy black holes count for zero
To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@ Please include your home address and telephone number below your letter. No attachments. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published. OPPOSITION ENERGY POLICY Dan Tehan's latest commentary (' Tehan maintains rage over Labor's green agenda that is 'trashing our economy' ', 28/6 ) is a masterclass in political hedging. He attacks Labor's clean energy plan as too costly without offering any serious alternative – and without saying what he would spend, or do instead. Apparently, it's too soon to say what the Coalition's policy will be. But it's not too soon to throw stones. Tehan is trying to have it both ways: Acknowledging climate change is real, and we must act, but also undermining Australia's existing pathway to net zero – one endorsed by 195 countries and backed by growing investment, jobs and global momentum. Instead of proposing a credible, costed alternative, Tehan points to nuclear power – a decades-away, taxpayer-funded gamble that voters in proposed host communities clearly rejected. Meanwhile, his own Coalition partners, the Nationals, are openly discussing ditching net zero altogether. If the Coalition really believes in climate action and affordable energy, it needs to stop hiding behind scare campaigns and internal reviews. Tehan's 'wait and see' approach isn't leadership– it's delay dressed up as strategy. The public deserves more than recycled talking points and policy black holes. Alan Richardson, Warrnambool Pace for renewables after Coalition inaction Has it ever occurred to Dan Tehan (29/6) why the federal government has to move so quickly on rolling out renewable energy? May it have something to do with 20 years of Coalition governments' climate change denial and inaction? Geoff Wescott, Northcote Time for action is now I am surprised that Dan Tehan expects voters to be turned on by his plan to let Labor make all the running on climate for '18 months and two years and then work out what we can do'. There are indications enough that the Australian public knows that real emissions have to come down. We know that more severe climate deterioration can be expected as world average surface temperatures approach and exceed 1.5oC above their values in pre-industrial times. We are already effectively at this threshold – and emissions, instead of coming down, continue to rise. Human-induced climate change will only ease if, and when, global action is effective in bringing the concentration of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere back down towards levels prevalent in pre-industrial times. The concentration of carbon dioxide in pre-industrial times was 280 parts per million. It is now 420 ppm and rising. The responsible thing for the Coalition to do would be to work with the government in implementing the most cost-effective ways of reducing emissions, not in 18 months' or two years' time, but now. John Gare, Kew East More from the LNP policy wasteland Angus Taylor believes quotas for women in his party would 'subvert democracy' (27/6). This is what subverts democracy, Angus: Imposing false debts on half a million social security recipients, causing horrific stress and hardship (Robodebt); providing tax breaks and other benefits to wealthy individuals and companies in the hope some crumbs will eventually trickle down to everyone else (supply side economics – a bedrock LNP principle); ignoring the science of climate change for decades resulting in untold personal, financial and environmental damage (climate denialism). From the same policy wasteland, Dan Tehan, in an accompanying article, suggests the opposition might have some ideas for a climate policy in a few years' time, while railing against the Labor government's commitment to renewables. Meanwhile, the gap between the 'haves' and 'have-nots' is at a 20-year high. Democracy has already been subverted under your watch Angus. Please make way for someone – preferably a woman – with some caring, careful and better crafted policies. Peter Thomson, Brunswick THE FORUM Who is really responsible? Oh dear, Angus. No quotas for women have worked so well for the Liberals. So who was responsible for failing so spectacularly? The 'men' can't blame quotas (there were none). Nor can they blame the women (as there were too few). Jenny Bone, Surrey Hills Merit in quotas It's worrying that quotas in politics is somehow an undemocratic idea (28/6). The insistence on 'merit' seems like a way of effectively shutting women out of politics. It means that a male-dominated party will be the on-going pattern, to the exclusion of female voices and sensibilities. Quotas lift opportunity for a fair representation in politics and isn't this the soul of democracy? The trouble with the 'merit' ideology is that women have to compete with men on men's terms, disadvantaging many women from the outset. Would that we could see the merit in quotas. Ian Hill, Blackburn South
