Joyce looks to heavens on climate change

Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce has suggested Australians are ‘‘fools’’ who will ‘‘get nailed’’ unless they respect God’s plan for climate change.

Joyce, who represents the New England electorate in New South Wales, made the comments in a bizarre Christmas video, posted to Twitter late on Christmas Eve, in which he filmed himself feeding his cattle.

In the 47-second clip, the former Australian National Party leader ranted against the government, of which he is a member, being involved in his life.

He then appeared to address the debate raging in Australia over the link between climate change, the worst drought in living memory and the summer’s horror bushfires.

Joyce was a leading campaigner against the former Labor government’s attempts to price carbon as a way to bring down Australia’s emissions, claiming doing so would send the cost of a Sunday roast to $100.

Amid growing public anger against the Coalition’s environmental policies, Joyce said he accepted the climate was changing but insisted the solution was to respect God, rather than impose a tax to limit emissions.

‘‘Now you don’t have to convince me that the climate’s not changing, it is changing and my problem’s always been whether you believe a new tax is going to change it back,’’ he said.

‘‘I just don’t want the government any more in my life, I’m sick of the government in my life.

‘‘And the other thing we’ve got to acknowledge is there’s a higher authority that’s beyond our comprehension – right up there in the sky – and unless we understand that it’s got to be respected, then we’re just fools, we’re going to get nailed.’’

The Coalition has been under intense pressure over its climate policies as a result of the bushfires ravaging the east coast.

Joyce’s successor as Nationals Leader, Michael Mccormack, has said Australia must ‘‘absolutely’’ take more action on climate change.

But Mccormcack was immediately contradicted by Scott Morrison upon the Prime Minister’s return from his holiday in Hawaii. Mr Morrison said Australia was doing enough.

Last week, the head of the International Energy Agency said Australia’s climate commitments were amongst the worst the world.

– Nine