The Opposition Leader and his finance spokesman yesterday voiced contrasting opinions on foreign investment and private health insurance.

Senator Joyce, appointed by Mr Abbott to the finance post and therefore bound to accept shadow cabinet positions, came out swinging against Chinese interest in the sugar and renewable energy assets of CSR.

While Mr Abbott played a straight bat to questions on the interest in CSR, Senator Joyce hit out at the supposed leniency of the Foreign Investment Review Board in scrutinising these types of deals. Local farmers could be ''held over a barrel'' without an alternative refiner to sell their sugar to, Senator Joyce said.

Yesterday Mr Abbott faced questions whether there was a split between him and Senator Joyce on whether to back the Government's plan to block high-income earners from the private health insurance rebate.

''It is a very strong position of the Coalition that we don't support the Government's proposal to means test the private health insurance rebate,'' Mr Abbott insisted.

But Senator Joyce said he would be open to considering means testing the policy, but only if the public hospital system was strong enough to cope with patients moving out of private health care.

The Government is keen to capitalise on any Coalition fracture. ''It's now clear that the Liberals are content to simply make up economic policy as they go along,'' said a spokesman for the Treasurer, Wayne Swan.