What does Sussan Ley think of Barnaby Joyce and Pauline Hanson having sandwich press steak in Hanson’s office earlier this week?

Ley tells ABC News Breakfast:

The great Wagyu producers in my electorate would be a bit worried about the steak on the sandwich press. Putting that aside, Barnaby’s a friend. I’ve known him for many years as a colleague in the parliament. What he does is entirely to him, and I would leave it there!

Q: Would you be sad if he jumped ship from the coalition? Obviously there are some people in the National Party who have voted for the Nationals purely for him?

Ley:

These are questions for the National Party, James. I’m the Leader of the Opposition, yes, but my party room is united behind a serious, compelling policy agenda that we want to take to the Australian people that we are developing, and that involves living within our means, managing the budget responsibly, lower personal income tax cuts – a substantial package that I will take to the next election – addressing issues of migration that Australians are concerned about, because infrastructure is failing.

And, of course, addressing something that’s very close to the heart of small business, which is – how do we manage industrial relations in a setting that actually works for both employers and employees and generates productivity? Because – remember that productivity summit? Was it more than 100 days ago now? Absolutely nothing has come out of it.

I am sure this all seemed very clever in the tactics meeting with Ley’s team about how she would answer these questions.