Deputy premier John Barilaro blames Wagga Wagga thumping on politicians being ‘out of touch’
PREMIER Gladys Berejiklian admits voters are sick of political sniping and welcomes her deputy John Barilaro’s advice for politicians to wear jeans and “keep it real” in the wake of the Wagga by-election loss.
NSW
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- Voters delivered a ‘strong message’ in Wagga Wagga
- Gladys Berejiklian lays blame for Wagga bloodbath
- Liberal voters turn on ‘bunch of billygoats’
PREMIER Gladys Berejiklian says she welcomes her deputy John Barilaro’s advice for politicians to wear jeans and “keep it real” in the wake of the Wagga by-election loss.
Speaking on Monday morning in Sydney, Ms Berejiklian said she thought his comments to The Daily Telegraph were “appropriate”.
She conceded the State Government needed to “to listen better on the ground” with voters needing to know they were not being “taken for granted”.
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Mr Barilaro said that state politicians must ditch their $700 suits, put on some jeans, “get real” and start connecting with voters as the government counted the cost of electoral wipe-out in the Wagga Wagga by-election.
As Ms Berejiklian on Sunday struggled to explain a mammoth 29 per cent swing against her in a six-decade safe seat, Mr Barilaro urged his own team and their government partner to get back to basics and listen to voters.
The brutal by-election result — with independent Joe McGirr likely to snatch the seat just ahead of Labor — puts the Opposition in reach of victory at a general election in March.
Nationals leader Mr Barilaro said the government had balanced the books and built big ticket items, but voters expected more and the government must connect.
MORE: Sore losers forget about importance of grace in defeat
Ms Berejiklian yesterday conceded the people of Wagga had sent her and her government a message and declared she would “redouble efforts” and “not take a single person for granted”.
“I accept that message,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“As a government we need to work harder and we will. We need to ensure that we listen to the community and not take them for granted.”
Mr Barilaro praised Ms Berejiklian’s leadership but urged every government politician to get on the ground, listen to people and act on their concerns.
“Blokes, get rid of our ties. Women, start wearing jeans. That might be the wrong thing to say but I’m saying ‘start connecting to real people’,” Mr Barilaro told The Daily Telegraph.
“We’re standing with our $600-$700 suits on and our shirts pressed and our ties in a perfect knot and we are standing there saying we understand,” he said.
“It’s time to throw that to the side and start being real people who understand real issues.”
Mr Barilaro said the government had crucial lessons to learn from the electoral bloodletting in Wagga Wagga and simply building infrastructure and running an efficient government was not going to be enough.
“People expect that,” he said. “People’s dreams are not realised by efficiency of government, their fears are not eased by a benefit cost ratio, and their futures are not built by an auditor’s sign off.”
Mr Barilaro said voters expected a government to build things and have a good economy, but that the government needed to do more.
“People in NSW, especially in the regions need government to be about them, especially now. Over the last eight years this government has balanced the books and has built the big items but it is now time to invest in the grassroots problems our residents face. In community. In people.”
He said he would now order every one of his MPs to simply “get it done” if it matters.
“It doesn’t matter what the beancounters say, it matters what our communities say,” he said.
“If we can afford it, we should fix it … The Nats going forward will have a simple direction from me. If it matters, get it done.”
Mr Barilaro said the Wagga routing provided an “opportunity for the Nationals to stand up even taller and be an even louder voice for the regions”.
“We have always been the party of the people, and now it’s time to shine,” he said.
Privately, some Nationals and Liberals believe the party would have done better if the Nationals had fielded a candidate, but the party was discouraged from this.
Ms Berejiklian on Monday said she appreciated his advice.
“Absolutely! I think his advice is really important,” she said. “All of us do.
“All elected officials, all members of parliament need to get real and keep it real. That’s what the people expect from us and I think his comments were completely appropriate.
“Most importantly people want to know they are not being taken for granted. That elected representatives are focused on them, not themselves. And that governments are focused on them, not on the politics and the sniping which is what people are sick of.”
The Premier said by-elections “always give exceptional outcomes in that people feel they can vent on their frustrations”.
“That’s what people have done and we accept that.
“We have listened to them and we appreciate what they have told us.”
Transport Minister Andrew Constance also backed the comments by Mr Barilaro.
“John’s actually saying we need to listen better and we need to work hard and he’s right. So that’s the message, we’ll heed it,” Mr Constance said.
In the wake of the Liberal party’s thrashing at the ballot box in Wagga, Mr Constance said the Liberal party needed to ensure they had strong local representation.
“It is about the community interest, not self interest, John Barilaro’s comments today I absolutely agree with, we all agree with — he’s right. So I think the key point and the key message out of this is that good government is about listening, responding, it’s about having local members prepared to work damn hard for their communities,” he said.
“I do that every day of the week in terms of Bega and will continue to do that. I think the key message out of Saturday is that if you’re in politics for the wrong reason, you’ll get caught, you’ll get caught out, if not at the ballot box than in the case of Mr Marguire at ICAC and I think the message is pretty clear.”
Former prime minister Tony Abbott also weighed into the Wagga Wagga by-election blaming the results on the state government’s “crazy” policies, such as the greyhound racing ban and its refusal to extend shark meshing.
“From time to time they do these crazy things that belong to the Greens, not to the Liberals greyhound racing ban,” he said.
“You’ve got to put people before sharks for god’s sake,” he said.
“That’s crazy.”
Ms Berejiklian on Sunday said she took responsibility but also pointed to Canberra leadership instability and disgust at the former local member Daryl Maguire, who was forced to resign in a corruption scandal.
“It was the perfect storm,” she said. “We hear there is an underlying concern in the community about how politics is conducted and there is an underlying mistrust in how government works and I need to restore that trust.”
Deputy Federal Liberal leader Josh Frydenberg said the Wagga Wagga by-election must be considered in terms of local factors.
“What happened in Canberra doesn’t help the overall situation. But if you’re looking for cause and effect, it was local factors,” he told ABC TV on Sunday.
Labor leader Luke Foley said the electorate had delivered an “electoral earthquake” to the government.
“For the final count to be between Labor and independent after six decades of entrenched Liberal representation, that’s an electoral earthquake here in Wagga and Ms Berejiklian needs to hear the message,” he said at a doorstop in the now marginal seat.
Mr Foley claimed the Liberal Party was a “shambles at all levels” and said it was “rich” of the Premier to lay the blame on Canberra’s doorstep.