Barnaby Joyce "Drought Envoy" - Where's the money?
01/01/24 10:13 am Filed in: LNP Where's the money?
Barnaby Joyce, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, claimed $675,000 in expenses for the nine months he was a drought envoy and was allocated two staff members at a cost of about $200,000. However, he spent less than three weeks on the ground in drought-affected communities outside of his electorate while engaged as the government’s special drought envoy 1. It is unclear whether he ever gave a full account of the money.
let me explain what a “drought envoy” is in a comedic way. A drought envoy is a person who is sent to drought-affected areas to make it rain. They are equipped with a magic wand and a bag of fairy dust. They sprinkle the fairy dust in the air and wave their magic wand, and voila! Rain starts pouring from the sky. If the drought is severe, they might even call upon the help of unicorns and dragons to bring rain (2)
**Drought Envoys: The Magic Wand Wielders**
Droughts are a serious problem that can cause immense damage to crops, livestock, and the environment. In Australia, droughts are a common occurrence, and the government has appointed drought envoys to tackle this problem. But what exactly is a drought envoy?
A drought envoy is a person who is sent to drought-affected areas to make it rain. They are equipped with a magic wand and a bag of fairy dust. They sprinkle the fairy dust in the air and wave their magic wand, and voila! Rain starts pouring from the sky. If the drought is severe, they might even call upon the help of unicorns and dragons to bring rain.
Okay, okay, I’m just kidding. A drought envoy is a person who is appointed by the government to assess the impact of droughts on communities and provide recommendations to the government on how to tackle the problem. They work closely with farmers, local communities, and other stakeholders to understand the challenges they face and come up with solutions to address them.
In Australia, the government appointed Barnaby Joyce as a drought envoy in 2018. He was tasked with visiting drought-affected areas and reporting back to the government on the situation. However, he spent less than three weeks on the ground in drought-affected communities outside of his electorate while engaged as the government’s special drought envoy - It is unclear whether he ever gave a full account of the money he claimed in expenses.
Drought envoys play an important role in addressing the challenges posed by droughts. They provide valuable insights into the situation on the ground and help the government come up with effective solutions. However, it is important that they are held accountable for their actions and that they use taxpayers’ money responsibly.
The questions we ask are:
- What was the money spent on, surely that amount of money should be accounted for in a detailed manner
- What of the reports? - Barnaby went to some lengths to explain that he did indeed provide “more than text messages” to Scott Morrison, but we have never seen anything of substance, have you? (See a clip of Barnaby in his office with ‘reports’ here: https://x.com/ShitFuckery1/status/1667788062905241600?s=20
https://x.com/ShitFuckery1/status/1673905990377553920?s=20
https://x.com/ShitFuckery1/status/1601034131403460608?s=20
Sources and further reading:
(1) https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/sep/25/barnaby-joyce-spent-less-than-three-weeks-on-the-ground-while-drought-envoy
(2) https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/audio/2019/oct/25/what-did-barnaby-joyce-achieve-as-drought-envoy
What exactly does a special envoy do?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-30/what-will-barnaby-joyce-and-tony-abbott-do-as-special-envoys/10179238
Somalia: ‘Dire and grim’ drought, impacting more than 7 million
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/06/1119412
Barnaby Joyce’s drought envoy texts to Scott Morrison should be released, information watchdog rules
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/02/barnaby-joyces-drought-envoy-texts-to-scott-morrison-should-be-released-information-watchdog-rules
Barnaby Joyce’s drought envoy texts not ‘documents of a minister’, prime minister’s office claims
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/may/17/barnaby-joyces-drought-envoy-texts-not-documents-of-a-minister-prime-ministers-office-claims
Drought envoy Barnaby Joyce's 'three weeks on the ground' - Michael West
https://michaelwest.com.au/barnaby-joyce-drought-envoy-post/
What did Barnaby Joyce achieve as drought envoy? – Full Story podcast
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/audio/2019/oct/25/what-did-barnaby-joyce-achieve-as-drought-envoy
Barnaby Joyce spent $675,000 in expenses but less than three weeks on ground while drought envoy
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/sep/25/barnaby-joyce-spent-less-than-three-weeks-on-the-ground-while-drought-envoy