More hyperbole over the Barnaby saga

What do politicians do when they've squeezed an issue until the pips squeak?

If it's the issue of Australia's most famous former Kiwi, it's rant and roar and pull a few more stunts.

And so it was at Thursday's question time wrapping up the parliamentary sitting fortnight, which was almost all about Barnaby Joyce but added almost nothing to the sum of human knowledge.

Labor kept up its demand that Malcolm Turnbull stand down his deputy from cabinet and not accept his vote in the house. It tried to link his vote to job losses in South Australia and penalty rate cuts in Penrith Plaza.

The jobs link gave Turnbull the chance to put an opposite spin on the matter. The biggest threat to jobs in SA is the cost and reliability of energy. And guess who's running the state? Labor, of course.

The PM warmed up with Labor "dripping nothing more than envy and malice", while Bill Shorten's $100,000 to GetUp from back in his union days got another going over.

The insult of the day for Shorten was "shifty". Scott Morrison and Christopher Pyne threw it around. Peter Dutton continued the alliteration by adding "shonky".

Joyce himself finally got a question, a routine one from a fellow Nat about all the goodies being spread around the bush.

Labor tried, unsuccessfully, to gag him. Joyce, when he finally got to answer, kept right away from his troubles.

Labor shortly afterwards launched yet another motion to try to force Joyce to stand down and the government for once, let it run.

Tony Burke used the motion to accuse the government of throwing a tantrum and jeopardising relations with New Zealand - an attack aimed mainly at Julie Bishop who, uncharacteristically, was a silent spectator.

Turnbull replied with a lecture on his government's economic brilliance and another whack at Shorten.

Andrew Wilkie, speaking on behalf of the independents, said Joyce should stand down from cabinet but remain a voting MP.

That seemed like a half pregnant position that appealed to no-one.