Coalition pushing renewable energy 'fear campaign': Tim Ayres

Assistant Trade Minister Tim Ayres has launched an attack on Barnaby Joyce after the former deputy prime minister questioned the deal which saw China lift trade tariffs. “It is hard to fathom a bloke like Barnaby Joyce who is unable to accept a government would behave with honour in the Australian national interest without being blowhards on the domestic scene and will just work through this in a programmatic, sensible kind of way to achieve the outcome,” Mr Ayres told Sky News Australia. Mr Joyce came into question after he commented on Labor’s new renewable energy project, calling it a “swindle factory” while also pointing out the Chinese-bought materials came at the same time as the wine tariffs being lifted. Mr Ayres denied any connection between the $1 billion solar panel project and the dropping of tariffs as he slammed Mr Joyce for being “hostile” and saying “wild things”. “He has absolutely no evidence for that kind of proposition – he is just making it up because that is all the Coalition has got,” Mr Ayres said. “Negativity, conspiracy theories, fear campaigns – we just should stick to the facts.”