During a heated Sunrise interview on Monday, Joyce pressed Plibersek to reveal the cost of the government’s Capacity Investment Scheme, accusing her of failing to provide figures she had promised during an interview five weeks earlier.
“This is a great big saving we can make,” he said.
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Plibersek insisted the costs of the renewable energy transition were outlined in the federal budget, pointing to the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, a government-owned green bank that invests in clean energy projects.
“The Clean Energy Finance Corporation that you want to get rid of actually brings in $7 billion a year for taxpayers,” she said.
But Joyce continued to demand the cost of the scheme.
“This is a non-answer. You’re not answering the question, Tanya,” he said.
Plibersek said some figures were commercially confidential, prompting Joyce to fire back.
“It’s our money,” Joyce said.
“Why are you subsidising these multinational companies?” he asked.
The exchange quickly turned personal, with Plibersek accusing Joyce of looking after wealthy interests rather than ordinary Australians.
“The billionaires like Gina Reinhart that bankroll you, why are you looking after them and not looking after us?” she said.
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek accused One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce of looking after wealthy interests rather than ordinary Australians. Credit: Sunrise
‘We don’t want to make savings that hurt people’
The confrontation came as the government faces growing pressure to rein in spending ahead of its December budget update, with Finance Minister Katy Gallagher working alongside Treasurer Jim Chalmers to identify savings.
When asked whether the government should consider means-testing green subsidies, including incentives for electric vehicles and home batteries, Plibersek defended the programs.
She said subsidies had helped about half a million Australians install home batteries, adding to the more than three million households with rooftop solar.
“Some people are paying nothing now for their electricity. That really helps with cost of living,” she said.
“Of course we will make savings. We’ve made $180 billion worth of savings already, but we don’t want to make savings that hurt people.”
Plibersek also accused the Coalition, One Nation, and the Greens of blocking billions of dollars in savings in the Senate.
“If people are really serious about savings, the first thing they could do is vote for the savings that are already there in the Senate right now,” she said.
Joyce blamed government spending for fuelling inflation, taking aim at what he claimed was $8.7 billion being spent on a climate change department “to change the weather”.
He also accused the government of dramatically expanding the public service and wasting taxpayer money.
Joyce makes extraordinary leadership call
The pair also addressed growing voter dissatisfaction with Labor, after the latest Newspoll showed the party had fallen behind One Nation on primary vote.
The latest Newspoll shows Labor has fallen behind One Nation on primary vote. Credit: Sunrise/Newspoll
Plibersek defended Chalmers after the Treasurer recorded a negative 16 per cent net approval rating, saying the government stood behind him as he made difficult economic decisions.
“There’s been no reforming Treasurer in Australian history that hasn’t copped it when they’ve made big changes,” she said.
“We all support Jim. We all make decisions together. They are tough decisions.”
Joyce argued Prime Minister Anthony Albanese he had lost the confidence of the public.
“I’m sorry, Prime Minister, they’re over you. And if you stay there, it’s not going to get better,” Joyce said.
“The budget is a disaster. You’ve got to have people who’ve actually run a business come to the fore before they start running the country.”
Joyce was then asked whether Plibersek could one day replace Albanese as prime minister, and gave a surprising response.
“I think definitely she could do the job. I think that Tanya’s a very capable lady,” he said.
“But unfortunately Tanya’s not doing the job.”
