Barnaby Joyce's 2020 vision on 'mind-bending' drought, 'climate catastrophe' fires

The New England MP said compared to the new $480-million dam, helping drought-affected residents might "sound odd and unglamorous", but it was at the top of his agenda.

"The drought is bending my mind out of shape, because you can't see the end of it," Mr Joyce said.

"Cattle are dying, trees are dying, even blackberries are dying. That's when you know it's bad because they are the most resilient of weeds.

"This is crushing the whole economic base of some people and putting them in an emotional corner."

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Mr Joyce said the key thing was to make sure drought-affected people were aware of the various ways the government could assist them.

Helping people affected by the bushfires ranging across the state, many of which have directly impacted New England residents, is also a high priority.

"For those people, you're on the front page of the paper today, but it's tomorrow when they start to pick up the pieces," Mr Joyce said.

"So we need to assist them all the way through.

"In my mind the drought and the fires are one in the same climate catastrophe."

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Mr Joyce said over the next year, he'd continue to push for the long-touted Tamworth bypass.

"There are some businesses around Tamworth that certainly want it and some that certainly don't," Mr Joyce said.

"The reality is, it's going to happen. If people want to go to Tamworth, it's big enough that they'll stop there regardless of the highway.

"One thing we don't need is big trucks passing through the middle of town."

A "long-term process", Mr Joyce is investigating is how to facilitate better medical services for regional areas.

"In Sydney, the number of doctors is one for every 400 people - in New England it's one to every 4000 people," Mr Joyce said.

"This outcome is untenable. One thing I'm looking at is regionally-based Medicare numbers for providers."

Securing funding for a university campus in Tamworth and spending the $140 million promised to upgrade parts of the New England Highway are also on Mr Joyce's agenda.