IT HAS been difficult to hear anything in Canberra above the argument over the Peter Garrett roofing insulation scandal.

With the Opposition calling loudly for Mr Garrett's resignation and the Government accusing the Opposition of a beat-up, what some have missed is that the uproar provided very welcome relief for the Nationals as it distracted from the sustained attack on senate leader Barnaby Joyce.

Some say Senator Joyce should be the leader of the Nationals. He is their most recognisable and passionate figure, a man with whom voters identify. Senator Joyce and Senator Fiona Nash will vie for the official title when the time comes.

In the meantime, however, the Government has been able to land punches on Senator Joyce in the past few weeks. He has been made to look fragile for the first time. Using political speak - something Opposition leader Tony Abbott clearly expects of him in his role as shadow finance minister - is not his natural strength.

What's more, his direct opposition, finance minister Lindsay Tanner, is a seriously sharp operator and fellow country boy, who should probably be treasurer.

Senator Joyce can ill-afford to make mistakes while opposite Mr Tanner, who is a master of taking the mickey out of his opponents.

Senator Joyce's point about the nation remaining the "master of debt" rather than "having debt become its master" is a good one.

The suggestion Australia is anywhere near the point where it may not be able to repay its debt is not.

The point that Australia should review all spending, including foreign aid, while it pays billions a year in interest on its debt, is hardly the silliest thing a politician has said this year.

The Government's attacks over Senator Joyce's slip of the tongue - when he said "trillions" but actually meant "billions" - will gain no traction with voters, most of whom have at some time accidentally used one word when they meant to use another.

The Garrett scandal comes at a handy time for the Nationals. It offers the chance to rest and reflect prior to what will clearly be a real election contest and a brutal election year.