Career
In December 2015, it was reported that he would be defecting to the National Party. Macfarlane was the Minister for Industry and Science in the Abbott Government from 18 September 2013 until 20 September 2015, when he was dropped from Cabinet in the ministry of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. He acquired the nickname "Chainsaw" from American Broadcasting Company rural reporter Judy Kennedy due to his raspy voice.
He now attributes the moniker to his ability to "cut through red tape", and it was alluded to in his 1998 election campaign through the slogan "The Right Voice for Groom".
Acting as Climate Change Spokesman for the Coalition in 2009, he spent 5 weeks in negotiations around a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme with Minister for Climate Change Penny Wong, before a leadership spill deposed party leader Malcolm Turnbull and replaced him with Tony Abbott, and the policy was overturned. As a minister in the Coalition Government under John Howard he held the portfolio of Minister for Small Business from January 2001, before being promoted to the Cabinet role of Industry, Tourism and Resources in November 2001.
After the defeat of the Coalition in the 2007 federal election he served in the shadow portfolios of Trade as well as Infrustructure and Water, and was the Shadow Minister for Energy and Resources. With the election of the Abbott Coalition government in September 2013 he was appointed Minister for Industry.
He was later sworn in as the Minister for Minister for Industry and Science on 23 December 2014.
Upon the ascension of the Turnbull Government, Macfarlane was dropped from the new ministry. On 3 December 2015, Macfarlane announced his intention to defect from the Liberal Party room to the National Party room. The move was later blocked by the Queensland Lecture Notes in Physics executive.
On 15 February 2016, Macfarlane announced he would retire from parliament and not contest the next Australian federal election.