Various politicians including the Prime Minister have been clamouring to microphones to call for the resignation of Member for New England Barnaby Joyce after he used a gun metaphor while speaking at a rally on the weekend.
It’s been less than six months since the Albanese et al last brayed about the need for Mr Joyce to resign from his role, the last time being when he fell down drunk in Canberra in February, which he said was the result of mixing alcohol and medication.
While speaking at a rally against a wind farm on Sunday, Mr Joyce urged attendees to “load that magazine” when voters head to the ballot box, as a protest against Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Energy Minister Chris Bowen.
The speech was livestreamed to his Facebook Page.
“The bullet you have is a little piece of paper, it goes in the magazine called the voting box. It’s coming up. Get ready to load that magazine,” he said.
“So goodbye Chris … goodbye Albo.”
The rally Mr Joyce was attending was in Lake Illawarra near Wollongong, over 400 kilometres away from the New England electorate, and was not related to any project in the New England.
Mr Albanese has urged for Mr Joyce to resign from the shadow ministry, saying the rhetoric on political violence had no place, particularly after the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump.
“Barnaby Joyce should go. This is the sort of language which has no place in any part of Australian society, let alone in public life,” he told Sky News on Monday
“To use a gun analogy at a time when the AFP commissioner has warned that there have been over 700 threats or harassments of members of parliament in the last year is just completely unacceptable.
“It is time that this bloke had a good look at himself, but it’s also time that (Opposition Leader) Peter Dutton showed a bit of leadership.”
It would seem Mr Albanese – and the others who have made similar comments – had not seen the video, where Joyce talks about the attempted assassination of Trump, claiming the US would have “melted down” if Trump had died.
Mr Joyce on walked back his language on Sunrise this morning.
“The ballot paper is the weapon you have. It shouldn’t be a bullet. It should be a ballot paper,” he said.
“I apologise for using that metaphor.”
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