CANBERRA: National Party leader Barnaby Joyce says he is more determined than ever to forge ahead with his foreshadowed private member’s bill abandoning emissions-reduction targets after overhearing Labor Party strategists saying it will more than live up to its aim.

The Bug’s Canberra bureau this morning caught Mr Joyce dictating the finishing touches to his bill to repeal the Albanese Government’s commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 in the interests of fighting climate change while National Party Queensland Senator, Matt Canavan, looked on excitedly. (main picture)

Mr Joyce said he was emboldened to continue pursuing passage of his bill after he was in a crowded Parliament House lift and overheard two Labor strategists conceding his plan would succeed.

When The Bug tracked down the Labor Party identities they admitted to discussing Mr Joyce’s bill in the lift.

“Come to think of it, we did notice Barnaby exiting the lift with a big smile on his face,” one strategist told The Bug. “And sure, we did say his net-zero bill would more than achieve its aim.”

“But,” the second strategist added, “if he had remained in the lift he would not have missed the rest of our conversation in which we both agreed that his bill would definitely result in a net-zero gain of seats for the coalition at the 2028 election.”

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CANBERRA: Former opposition leader and defeated member for Dickson, Peter Dutton, has explained his surprise presence in the nation’s capital yesterday on the first day sittings for the 48^th Federal Parliament.

Mr Dutton, cornered yesterday afternoon at Canberra Airport boarding a plane to return to Brisbane, (below) explained he had not been in the nation’s capital to liaise with remaining Liberal Party MPs.

He also denied he had travelled to Canberra as a courtesy to listen to the inaugural speech made yesterday by his replacement as MP for Dickson, Labor’s Ali France.

“It was none of those reasons,” he explained. “I actually came to Canberra specifically to boycott the welcome to country ceremony that preceded the first sitting for this term and to deliberately not stand anywhere near an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islands flag.

“That’s done, so now I’m off back home,” he said.

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HOBART: It has been revealed that there is no real impediment to the Tasmanian Electoral Commission (TEC) declaring the final result of last Saturday’s state election.

A source within the TEC said a misunderstanding had caused the Commission to hold off announcing the final tally of seats.

“None of us here had caught up with the news that the ABC’s election analyst Antony Green had retired,” the source said.

“So we’ve been cooling our heels waiting for him to declare the result, just like he has done in all other state and federal polls.

“Now that we know Antony is no longer doing that job, I guess we’ll have to pull our fingers out and start counting ballot papers.

“The good news is that we’ll know better and be ready to actually do our job by the time the next Tasmanian election happens, probably in a few months,” the source said.

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