‘It’s like a religion’: Barnaby Joyce unleashes on the ABC following Alan Tudge resignation

Barnaby Joyce has slammed the ABC in an extraordinary rant in which he likened the national public broadcaster to a “religion”.

The former Nationals leader appeared on The Bolt Report on Thursday when he was asked about the resignation of Liberal MP Alan Tudge. 

In an emotional speech to the House of Representatives Mr Tudge said the death of his father cemented his decision to leave politics.

He also said he wanted to spend more time with his family, as he revealed his children had received death threats while he has been in Parliament.  

While Mr Joyce refused to weigh in on Mr Tudge’s resignation, he used the opportunity to lash the nation’s public broadcaster. 

“We all know the politicians of the past on both sides of political fence that we could have done our documentaries on,” Mr Joyce told Sky News Australia host Andrew Bolt.

“It’s funny how their documentaries are only ever about people on the conservative side of politics, isn’t that a peculiarity.” 

Mr Tudge has been embroiled in numerous controversies in recent years and was featured in an explosive report aired by the ABC in 2020, which uncovered his affair with a married senior Liberal staffer. 

But Mr Joyce argued the public broadcaster had unfairly targeted conservative politicians and that it had become like a “religion” to the left.

“The others are lauded as larrikins, interesting people, colourful,” Mr Joyce said. 

“The ABC doesn’t accept the consequences for what they create.

“And I’ll tell you what Alan Tudge’s children, you’ve created a nightmare for them, do you accept responsibility for it? Do you apologise?”

“It annoys me so much,” Mr Joyce said, adding the broadcaster costs taxpayers just over $1.bn each year.

“The bleeding people turn up and go ‘oh we can’t have a fight with the ABC’,” he said. 

“Mate who’s a conservative reporter on the ABC, tell me one?”