Anthony Albanese has called
for Barnaby Joyce to be removed from the shadow frontbench following Joyce’s
controversial comments at an anti-wind farm rally, where he suggested voters
use their ballots as “bullets” to “say goodbye” to the prime minister and other
senior Labor figures.
Joyce, a Nationals
frontbencher, urged protesters to "get ready to load that magazine"
and vote out Prime Minister Albanese, federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen, and
local MP Stephen Jones. He likened ballots to bullets, saying, “The bullet you
have is this little piece of paper, it goes in the magazine called the voting
box and it's coming up.”
Albanese condemned the
remarks, made just two weeks after an assassination attempt on former US
President Donald Trump, amid growing concerns about violence and harassment
targeting politicians. He described the gun analogy as “completely
unacceptable” and expressed worry that such language could incite violence.
“I am not sure what Barnaby
Joyce has to do to lose his job,” Albanese said during ABC's Afternoon Briefing.
“Peter Dutton has had four reshuffles already. There should have been a fifth
today. This bloke goes along to a rally, uses entirely inappropriate and
violent language, including that myself and two others should be gone. It’s a
new low and unacceptable.”
Joyce faced criticism for his
comments at the rally in Lake Illawarra, where he had urged voters to use their
ballots as a weapon against the “turds” he claimed were pushing for offshore
wind farms. He later apologized, saying, “I apologize for using that metaphor,”
and clarified that he meant to refer to the ballot paper, not a bullet.
Peter Khalil, Labor’s special
envoy for social cohesion, labeled the remarks as “highly irresponsible,”
citing recent violent incidents in the US as a caution against such rhetoric.
He urged for a focus on promoting unity rather than divisive language.
Deputy Liberal leader Sussan
Ley acknowledged she would not have used Joyce’s metaphor but noted that Joyce
often uses “colorful language.” She emphasized that discussions should aim to
bring people together rather than push them apart.
