THE state government’s recent call to ban greyhound racing may have come back to bite Liberal party candidates at this year’s local government elections.
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The Liberal Party endorsed three candidates for Tamworth Regional Council, none of whom were successful.
Noel O’Brien, the lead candidate for the Liberals in Tamworth, said they “had a couple of things factoring against [them]”.
“It hasn’t been done before, so we thought we’d run it and test it,” Mr O’Brien said.
“There was a reaction to the Liberal Party on the greyhound decision.
“And I received a couple of emails which said I pulled the wrong string going with the Liberals.”
The region did not endorse the political party at this year’s election, but Mr O’Brien said it was a “brilliant campaign”.
“The camaraderie among the candidates was fantastic. They all would have made a great contribution,” he said.
Mr O’Brien wasn’t certain whether he would have another run for council.
“If the opportunity comes up, I’ll think about it. I won’t run as an endorsed candidate, I’ll do it on my own,” Mr O’Brien said.
Jacob McArthur
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
