Barnaby Joyce acknowledges people are upset after colleagues dumped in ministerial reshuffle
Updated
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has dismissed reports of internal unrest in his party, after a decision to sack a senior Cabinet minister.
Key points:
- Barnaby Joyce says cabinet reshuffle will upset some people
- Senior Nationals Darren Chester and Keith Pitt will now sit on the backbench
- Mr Joyce said Mr Chester could return to cabinet in the future
There is infighting over yesterday's ministerial reshuffle, which saw senior Nationals Darren Chester and Keith Pitt lose their positions.
Some Nationals are privately accusing Mr Joyce of attacking his internal opponents by sacking Mr Chester as infrastructure minister, but the Nationals Leader insists the decision is not "payback".
"In any process there's going to be people who are rightly upset," Mr Joyce told the ABC.
Mr Chester, a Victorian MP, will now sit on the backbench and will be joined by his Queensland colleague Mr Pitt, who was the parliamentary secretary for trade.
Queensland first-term backbencher David Littleproud has been elevated to Agriculture Minister and deputy Nationals leader Bridget McKenzie will take the Sport, Rural Health and Regional Communications portfolios.
Neither have previously held ministerial portfolios.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday paid tribute to Mr Chester and said he regretted the "outstanding minister" was being removed from Cabinet.
Mr Joyce, who said Mr Chester could return to Cabinet in the future, argued his party was full of talented MPs who could be promoted.
"We have an immense pool of people who have the capacity to be cabinet ministers, without a shadow of a doubt and I'm very proud of that in the National Party," he said.
"We've covered the length and breadth of our nation and we've shown a complete process of renewal.
"Any reshuffle, through the history of the Australian Parliament, there are going to be people who are upset. That is hardly a remarkable statement."
Mr Joyce said Mr Chester still had a "huge political future in front of him".
"[I] would not be surprised in the least if he came back to Cabinet in the future."
Mr Joyce dismissed reports Mr Pitt had told colleagues he may be considering moving to the crossbench.
The ABC understands Mr Pitt remains committed to sitting in the Nationals party room.
Topics: joyce-barnaby, government-and-politics, federal-government, australia
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