No way, I haven’t spent 30 years defending our system of government to let this happen, the Constitution isn’t broke our major parties are. Furthermore, Section 44(1) won’t disqualify new Australians from standing either they just have to be Australian citizens.

Of four generations of my family only one of my great grandparents was born in a foreign land (England). One of my great grandparents charged at Beersheba, so the 100th anniversary of the charge is a proud family moment. I found this out while growing up asking my parents inquisitively where we came from. 

I love Australia, I am a patriot and am a proud resident of the great State of NSW and glorious New England; you won’t find my heart twisted at State of Origin time wearing a Maroon jersey either. 

Disappointingly for the people of New England and taxpayers of Australia they will be paying The Nationals handsomely for Barnaby’s error, around $2.62 per primary vote (a voter’s No 1 preference) which will end up in the coffers of Sydney National party headquarters. 

So if as some pundits claim in the absence of a popular alternative he wins 60 per cent of the primary vote and based on gazetted enrollment (29/02/2016) of 108,475 electors x 60 per cent x $2.62, Barnaby’s party will pocket around $170,522.70.  

Then there’s the cost of the by-election to the Australian Electoral Commission and staff also paid for by the taxpayers, altogether we probably won’t see the by-election cheaper than half a million dollars. 

I believe that the Liberal/National Coalition Government is in disarray. The economy and wages growth is stagnant, they have let Government debt spiral to $500 billion and we are virtually in recession. 

The answer to our problems by the Libs and Nats has been to abolish penalty rates - no doubt a huge impact on many New England workers, cut pensions and Family Tax Benefits to families (introduced by the Howard Government) and then stupidly cut company tax by $50 billion, paid for by the cuts previously mentioned with the government hoping trickle-down economics will work. Some of those corporations don’t even pay tax despite the Government’s expensive advertising campaign to the contrary.

After 27 years of Nationals membership helping them at 10 federal elections, 7 state elections, 2 referendums a couple of by-elections then followed by the disaster of NSW electricity privatisation in 2014 I had an epiphany (a sad and disappointing one at that), that Barnaby’s party, the party that claims it is for regional Australia actually isn’t.  

The Liberals and Nationals have shackled the people of NSW to record electricity prices via their privatisation agenda and then federally pretend they are doing something about it in their tax payer funded “Powering Forward” advertising campaign which will do nothing for the suffering voters of New England.

I believe we need our politicians to act with honesty, integrity, loyalty and in the utmost good faith. We need our politicians to avoid vested interests and conflicts of interest hence the reason why I believe we should have a Commonwealth ICAC, rejected by the Libs and Nats. 

They also oppose a banking Royal Commission why? The Liberals and Nationals won’t ban corporate or political lobbyists despite the inordinate influence they have over policy and legislation which is to our detriment and most certainly at our expense. 

When Barnaby crows about his government erecting blackspot mobile phone towers around this electorate I am frequently reminded about the folly of privatisation and that he had the opportunity when a Senator to keep Telstra in public hands which would have delivered a far better outcome for phone users than taxpayers having to continually foot the bill for mobile phone infrastructure, then there’s the NBN.

The hypocrisy of Barnaby standing in front of Sapphire wind farm wind turbines at Glen Innes for smiley photos and then his party voting to remove all renewable subsidies, while the biggest rent seekers - coal mining companies are rewarded with taxpayer subsidies. 

Evidently this is not a government that values equality particularly if you aren’t a mining company. We don’t plan for the future without extractive industries with a sovereign wealth fund like Norway and all of the major parties are happy to see the terminal decline of the Great Barrier Reef with ardent support for environmental wreckers Adani.

With six kids and some with special needs I understand the value of our universal health system - Medicare and the NDIS sadly the Libs and Nats do not. 

I understand the impact of government changes to Family Tax Benefits as well as the proposed clandestine tax increases on middle income Australians. 

I understand the value of tertiary education such as TAFE and the benefits of an affordable university degree, it’s a pity the government doesn’t.

There are some of the poorest postcodes in Australia within the Division of New England, I sincerely hope that if Barnaby Joyce is re-elected he is more in tune with the working and middle class people that mostly comprise the New England electorate than what we have witnessed in the legislative agenda of his wobbly government over the past four years.

Mark Rodda

Tamworth