ABC’s hit job on the Nationals was disgusting

Even by the national broadcaster’s low standards, these comments were a low blow.

The ABC really doesn’t like conservatives, but its hit job on Sunday on the conservative Nationals was disgusting even by the national broadcaster’s low standards.

ABC federal politics reporter Claudia Long went on the ABC’s Insiders to blast the Nationals for apparently deserting voters during the NSW floods – for not having “a local member who’s there when their electorate is, for example, flooding and people are dying”.

She claimed to be appalled the Nationals had spent time during the week on forcing the Liberals to agree to four policies, including one the ABC seems to hate – nuclear power.

And she scolded two Nationals MPs in flooded electorates, who you’d assumed from her rant, had abandoned their dying voters: “It’s also still your job to be a local member.”

ABC federal politics reporter Claudia Long (left) went on the ABC’s Insiders to blast the Nationals for apparently deserting voters during the NSW floods.

One was Alison Penfold, member-elect for Lyne, which includes hard-hit Taree, and the other Pat Conaghan, member for Cowper, which includes Port Macquarie.

Long said two people had drowned in Penfold’s electorate, on Wednesday and Thursday, and one in Conaghan’s on Thursday, and she told them “when you’re in opposition it is also important to be there”.

Where “there” was wasn’t clear. Should the two MPs have personally been at the very place of each drowning?

This was a very damaging criticism, so I checked where these two politicians had been as locals died.

It didn’t take more than a couple of minutes.

On that fateful Wednesday and Thursday, Penfold posted a video update, standing by a flood, plus a string of posts during the day giving the latest weather updates, power outages, road closures, emergency numbers, evacuation centres and food deliveries.

Alison Penfold shared this video update on Facebook.

On Friday, she posted another video update at the floods, and on Saturday managed to get through to Taree to help with the clean-up.

I’d called that “being there”.

Same story with Conaghan.

On the day one of his locals drowned, Conaghan was posting updates at the scene of a flood, along with many updates on what was going on and where people could go for help.

On Friday, he showed Nationals leader David Littleproud the flood damage in his electorate and discussed the federal help locals needed.

Pat Conaghan's Facebook post with David Littleproud.

On Saturday, he was helping the clean-up in the North Shore.

What more did Claudia Long and the ABC expect from a local opposition politician?

Where was Long herself?

Filling sandbags?

Or just planning to sandbag the Nationals?

Originally published as ABC’s hit job on the Nationals was disgusting