Deputy PM Michael McCormack says Nationals should have run Wagga candidate
The Liberal Party brand has been so badly damaged by the leadership spill that Deputy PM Michael McCormack regrets the National Party’s decision not to run a candidate in the upcoming Wagga Wagga by-election.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
FEDERAL Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack says the party should have run a candidate in the NSW seat of Wagga Wagga in next week’s by-election.
And should the Liberal Party lose the seat — a real fear of the Berejiklian government after the leadership spill chaos in Canberra — Mr McCormack and NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro have confirmed they will run a candidate in the 2019 general election.
MORE WAGGA BY-ELECTION NEWS
LIBERALS PROMISE $130M TO KEEP WAGGA
At a Farm Writers Association of NSW lunch in Sydney, the two senior Nationals leaders opened up about their fears of losing Wagga Wagga in a by-election triggered by the resignation of disgraced former Liberal MP Daryl Maguire.
“I would have liked to have run a candidate but I can understand why we didn’t, but I would have liked to have run a candidate — I think we would have stood a good show,” Mr McCormack said.
The NSW Nationals decided not to run a candidate in Wagga to avoid a three-cornered contest, leaving Julia Ham to run for the Liberal Party.
The seat has been in safe Liberal hands since 1957 and the party currently hold it by a margin of 12 per cent.
But given damage done to the Liberal brand during the leadership spill, the disappointing circumstances that led to Mr Maguire’s resignation and the average swing against governments in by-elections — around 15 per cent — there are concerns it may not be enough.
Asked if he would encourage a Nationals candidate to run in the general election should the Liberal Party lose the September 8 by-election, Mr McCormack said: “Yes, I would”.
Mr Barilaro echoed his comments, saying he would “absolutely” support a Nationals candidate running for the seat.
“We have the option on the table that if we were to lose that seat, our focus would be to win that seat and the Coalition agreement allows us to negotiate that out — I think it would put the Nationals in a very strong position going forward,” he said.
Mr Barilaro said the last week in Canberra had proven that “disunity destroys governments” and claimed running a Nationals candidate in Wagga would have distracted the party from tackling the drought.
“So we can be focused now — rather than focus on the drought and delivering for drought, delivering for the state — I could have been more focused on a three-cornered contest in government against the Liberal Party at a time when the focus should have been on the issues that matter,” he said.
“For me, that was an easy decision — if we don’t run a three-cornered contest, status quo wins government in 2019 for us.
“Disunity kills, we are united. Gladys and I are strong on this and we made a decision that it will be the Liberals that are running for Wagga Wagga.”
Mr Maguire was forced to resign from parliament earlier this month after a tape was played at an Independent Commission Against Corruption hearing revealing he used his position to tout for kickbacks from wealthy Chinese property developers.