This was published 7 years ago
Election 2016: Meatworkers' union links Barnaby Joyce flights to live export decisions
By Heath Aston and political correspondent
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Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce accepted five free flights on the private jet and helicopter of one of Australia's largest cattle-grazing and beef-processing companies, Stanbroke Pastoral.
The meatworkers' union claims the flights could explain Mr Joyce's "staunch support for live exports" because Stanbroke, owned by the Nationals leader's friend Brendan Menegazzo, derives a portion of its revenue from the live export trade.
Stanbroke, which was once one of Australia's largest live exporters, owns 1.6 million hectares of prime grazing country in northern Queensland but has diversified into processing the bulk of its beef in an abattoir in the Lockyer Valley.
The company estimates five per cent of its revenue comes from live exports but Grant Courtney, a secretary of the Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union, claims the company is underestimating its exposure to live trade.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce.Credit: Andrew Meares
According to the register of member's interests for the last term of Parliament, Mr Joyce twice accepted flights in the same month that he made key decisions against intervening in the live export trade after incidents of animal cruelty had been exposed in foreign abattoirs.
On March 15 last year, the pecuniary register shows Mr Joyce flew on a "charter flight provided by Stanbroke from Tamworth to Dubbo, Cootamundra and Canberra".
Two days earlier, Mr Joyce had rejected calls to suspend live cattle exports to Vietnam, despite exporters themselves reporting concerns that Australian cattle may have been subjected to horrific treatment.
"We want to make sure, as we work in South East Asia, that we don't have the sort of knee-jerk reactions we've had in the past, such as Indonesia which cost us immensely," Mr Joyce said at the time.
Further evidence of cruelty in Vietnamese abattoirs emerged again a fortnight ago.
In August 2015, Stanbroke flew Mr Joyce from Rockhampton to Tamworth. Three weeks later the federal government rejected calls by Animals Australia to impose a voluntary industry suspension on exports over more supply chain breaches in Vietnam.
Mr Courtney has issued a press release on behalf of the meatworkers' union, claiming Mr Joyce has "questions to answer".
"Gifts' from suppliers are evidence of Joyce's close relationship with Stanbroke and calls into question each and every one of his decisions on live exports," he said.
On the one hand politicians are criticised for using flights that cost the taxpayer, and on the other hand for saving the taxpayer if you take a lift with a friend
In a statement, Mr Joyce dismissed the union's attempt to connect gifted flights with government decisions.
"I am advised that 95 per cent of Stanbroke's cattle are processed in Australia, predominantly but not exclusively in the company's own abattoir," he said.
"Brendan Menegazzo is an old friend of mine. His company Stanbroke is a great Australian owned pastoral business. I have flown with Brendan on a number of occasions over the past three years and every one of these has been declared. The flights were at nil cost to the taxpayer.
"On the one hand politicians are criticised for using flights that cost the taxpayer, and on the other hand for saving the taxpayer if you take a lift with a friend."
Mr Joyce, who is engaged in an increasingly bitter election campaign in New England against challenger Tony Windsor, found himself in hot water over his decision to charter two $4000 helicopters to visit an area in a corner of his electorate.
He also chartered a helicopter to visit an area less than an hour and a half by road from his ministerial office in Armidale.
Stanbroke Pastoral did not return calls.