Barnaby Joyce wishes Tony Abbott had told him earlier he couldn’t appear on the ABC’s Q&A program.

When the prime minister gives you an instruction you need to obey him, the agriculture minister told the National Press Club in Canberra on Monday.

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But “it would have been nice” to know about the directive a little bit sooner.

ABC managing director Mark Scott, in a tweet, said Mr Abbott’s instruction was a “missed opportunity” for the minister to discuss the newly-released agriculture blueprint in front of the million people who watch the show.

Mr Joyce said it was unlikely there would have been a question about the white paper.