As Labor criticises the government for not producing a national drought strategy, Barnaby Joyce says the Coalition risks ‘political annihilation’ in rural areas if it does not start building dams and the drought worsens.
“It’s not good talking about the crisis when it arrives, it should have been dealt with years ago, but it must be dealt with now, and it will be political annihilation if we don't,” Joyce said.
Joyce said he had used his position to lobby for dam funding, telling Morrison that dams were desperately needed to help provide drought-stricken communities with economic stimulus.