Joyce apologises for comparing voting to using a bullet at rally

The Nationals MP was one of several speakers at an anti-offshore wind farm rally held at Lake Illawarra on Sunday urging the crowd to weaponise their votes against Labor politicians, following the declaration of a wind zone off the Illawarra Coast last month.

In his surprise visit to the region, Mr Joyce said "your greatest weapon" in opposing the turbines is "to turn up in numbers" in Canberra and Sydney.

"And the bullet you have is a little piece of paper, it goes in the magazine called the voting box. It's coming up," he said.

"Get ready to load that magazine ... Goodbye, Chris. Goodbye, Stephen. Goodbye, Albo."

Mr Jones said these remarks, which came two weeks after the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump, were extraordinary.

"It's outrageous that a former deputy prime minister thinks it's alright to travel the country using violent language and encouraging that sort of talk," Mr Jones told ACM.

"Right around the world we've seen where that leads to and it's not a part of the Australian political culture, and we don't want it to be."

Mr Joyce has since apologised for the comments, conceding on Sunrise on Monday morning: "I apologise for using that metaphor."

"Barnaby, do we need to be using 'bullet' in the lead-up to an election?" host Natalie Barr asked.

Mr Joyce was initially defensive over the use of the word, however eventually obliged that he shouldn't have used it.

"The ballot paper is the weapon you have - It shouldn't be a bullet, it should be a ballot paper and the ballot box," Mr Joyce said.

"I'll tell you what my best line down there (was) ... This idea that wind towers have efficacy and are environmentally beautiful."

Mr Joyce compared the wind turbines to dog faeces in a yard to illustrate a point about wind turbines impacting the view of the coastline.

"When you get to the top of Bulli Pass, you'll look down and see all the wind turds ... Look at them all just rotting out there in the salt water," he told the crowd on Sunday.

Mr Joyce explained on Sunrise that "it's like saying the fertilising capacity and the beauty of dog turd on your lawn in the middle of the morning works well."

"(It's) absolutely disgusting. Nobody wants them," he said.

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten also expressed concern over Mr Joyce's bullet comment, saying "Barnaby feels very passionately about wind towers, but if he had his time again, he shouldn't be using the metaphor of bullets and magazines".