Agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce has vowed to fight for a $25 million lifeline to be thrown to food producer SPC Aardmona in Tony Abbott’s first full cabinet meeting of 2014. In a position that puts him at odds with Treasurer Joe Hockey and other economic dries around the cabinet table but onside with Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane and Victorian Liberal Sharman Stone, Mr Joyce said he backed the company’s bid for government assistance to help it keep it’s canning operations in the Victorian country town of Shepparton operating. Mr Joyce told Fairfax Media on Thursday, before the all-day meeting, that his colleagues should not take an all or nothing view on government assistance, though he stressed he would back whatever position the cabinet ultimately adopted. Dr Stone is also making a last-ditch plea at the meeting for her party to the funds to keep SPC Ardmona in business. The company is based in the town of Shepparton in her northern Victorian electorate of Murray. Mr Joyce said: Its how you deliver a program, rather than the argument over whether you should have the program.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 02:01:11 +0000