Environment Minister Greg Hunt insists he and Barnaby Joyce are still buddies despite their differences over the approval of a Chinese coal mine in NSW.
Mr Hunt says he respects the agriculture minister for voicing his concerns about the approval of the $1 billion Shenhua Watermark coal mine in Mr Joyce's NSW electorate.
Mr Hunt, who gave the federal sign-off for the project without Mr Joyce's knowledge, said they've spoken twice in the past week.
Theirs was an "incredibly positive, civil relationship", he insisted.
"I really like him. Like, I really like him," Mr Hunt said.
"He is an incredibly decent guy and passionate, and people should be proud to have a representative such as that."
Mr Hunt played down his part in the approval process, saying he had no other choice but to agree to the mine based on the advice he was given.
"No federal environment minister could have reached a different decision," he said.
The minister said his cabinet colleague's fight was more with the NSW planning decision to release the land for mining.
But it was a matter for Mr Joyce whether he lobbied the state government to block the mine from going ahead.
Mr Joyce has faced calls to resign after saying the "world has gone mad" over his government's "ridiculous" move.
He was absent from a prime ministerial farm visit for a second time on Monday, as Mr Abbott talked up the agriculture white paper in NSW while Mr Joyce was on a plane to Bunbury, WA.
Mr Abbott, describing the agriculture minister as "passionate" and "committed", said he would remain in his post.
"He is doing an outstanding job," the prime minister told reporters.
The opposition said the trio was in dispute about whether the mine will be on prime agriculture land.
Mr Abbott and Mr Hunt claim it won't be - contradicting Mr Joyce.
"The warring ministers are causing more confusion, fear and uncertainty in the communities of the Liverpool Plains," Labor's agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon said in a statement.
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