Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey today fired a stinging broadside at the leadership of the National Party, saying Nationals Leader Warren Truss and Nationals Senate Leader Barnaby Joyce don't speak for the Coalition.
During a live television interview this morning, Mr Hockey labelled his two senior Coalition colleagues 'freelancers':
HOST: But your colleagues in the Coalition – Barnaby Joyce, John Williams and others have attacked the decision and they say that the Government should have bought the farm. Does this reflect a broad difference of opinion within the Coalition on foreign investment? It's just the tip of the iceberg isn't it?
HOCKEY: No, some people are freelancing. They do not speak for the Coalition. They don't even speak for the National Party or the Liberal Party.
(Sky News, 4 September 2012)
This is despite a national media blitz from Senator Joyce and Mr Truss where they have called on the Government to block the Cubbie sale – a move that could endanger the jobs of around 170 people.
Just weeks ago the Coalition attempted to paper over its enormous divisions over foreign investment with the release of a discussion paper.
Now, the Coalition has abandoned any pretence of unity and descended into open warfare.
Tony Abbott needs to declare whether he supports Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey in his unprovoked attack on the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Senator Joyce.
The Gillard Government supports a strong foreign investment screening regime that is transparent and protects the national interest and Australian jobs.
The Government applies a rigorous national interest test to all foreign investment applications, and we screen every dollar of direct investment from foreign governments.
And earlier this year we announced a working group to look at the development of a register of foreign ownership of agricultural land to get some more facts on the table.
This comes after ABS data showing that current foreign ownership of agriculture is comparable with the levels of 1983-84, with around 99 per cent of agricultural businesses entirely Australian owned.
Tony Abbott and the Coalition have to decide whether they want to encourage economic development and support jobs or whether they want to let Warren Truss and Barnaby Joyce roll the shutters down on foreign investment.