New England MP Tony Windsor
Tony Windsor says if The Nationals “had any brains” they’d choose a good local member to replace dumped pre-selected candidate Richard Torbay, rather than parachute Queensland Senator Barnaby Joyce into the lower house.
Mr Windsor said The Nationals kept making the same “fatal mistake” in assuming they owned New England.
He said they’d made that assumption for 88 years and were still demonstrating that attitude in saying they would win the seat back at the next federal election on September 14.
“The Nationals thought they could win back New England by putting up an opportunist – Mr Popularity – but they showed no regard for the party’s philosophy or their grassroots members,” he said.
“And now we’ve got second choice Barnaby Joyce coming back into consideration.
“He was second choice to Richard Torbay and New England was his second choice seat after Maranoa and really New England was one of six seats he was contemplating for a run at the lower house.
“It’s pretty clear and plain that Barnaby Joyce standing in New England, if he does, is about himself and not the electorate.
“It’s a bit like cow lottery – he just drops a pat anywhere and says if you invite me I’ll come into your seat.
“Good luck to Barnaby Joyce – he’s entitled to stand wherever he likes but don’t try and argue that this is about the people of New England. It’s about Barnaby Joyce and always has been.”
Mr Windsor said Nationals Leader Warren Truss was “up to his armpits” trying to get Mr Torbay to run in New England – only to stop Senator Joyce getting into the lower house.
“That’s not about the people of New England either, that’s about Warren Truss,” he said.
“The Nationals make the same fatal mistake all of the time – it’s all about them.
“And that’s why Barnaby Joyce wouldn’t take on Bruce Scott in Maranoa because Bruce Scott is there for the right reasons.
“If you look at Bruce Scott and Barnaby Joyce and make a comparison - Bruce Scott is a Nationals MP who cares for his people and Barnaby Joyce only cares for himself.”
Mr Windsor declined to comment on polling results in his seat, but said he was “relaxed” about the final decision the people of New England would make, at the upcoming federal election.
“Most people have said, whether they agree with the minority government decision or not, that I’ve worked pretty hard in terms of regional Australia and particularly for the electorate,” he said.
“It’s their choice if they want a city dominated operator in there or an independent choice and I’m relaxed about that.”
Mr Windsor said a member of the NSW parliament had raised concerns with him that Mr Torbay could be linked to the ICAC inquiry around former NSW Labor powerbroker Eddie Obeid, through the publication of his diaries last week.
He said he hadn’t read those diaries but found The Nationals' media statement on Mr Torbay’s resignation “interesting” that legal advice on the issue was now being sought.
“I understand people come and go from parliament – they get sick of doing it or they don’t like the polls,” he said. “But the Nats to put out a press release saying they’re seeking legal opinion suggests something untoward has happened.
“But I hope for Richard’s (Torbay) family that’s not the case.”
