One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce said Australia is under threat and that current government policies are killing the nation [1].

Joyce's warnings center on the intersection of national security and industrial capacity. He said that the Labor government's approach to energy and manufacturing is eroding the country's strength at a time of significant geopolitical tension.

Speaking during an interview with Jaimee Rogers at Sky News Australia in April 2024, Joyce focused on the risk of national decline [1]. He said that the country should be becoming as powerful as possible as quickly as possible to counter external pressures [1].

Joyce specifically pointed to the influence of the Chinese government as a primary concern. He said that while communist China is on the rise, Australia is making itself weak [1]. He said that these policy failures contribute to a broader sense of frustration, and disconnection among the population [1].

According to Joyce, the decisions regarding power supply and the industrial base are not merely economic issues but are matters of national survival [1]. He said that the current trajectory weakens the state's ability to compete or defend its interests on the global stage [1].

Throughout the discussion, Joyce emphasized that the loss of manufacturing capability and a precarious energy strategy create a vulnerability that adversaries can exploit [1]. He said the nation is currently under threat because of these strategic lapses [1].

“We are killing our nation, we are under threat”

This critique reflects a growing debate within Australian politics regarding 'economic sovereignty.' By linking energy policy and manufacturing to national security, Joyce is framing the transition of the industrial base not as an environmental or economic shift, but as a strategic vulnerability in the face of China's regional growth.