Nationals Leader John Barilaro hits out at Federal colleagues over poll
Deputy Premier John Barilaro has hit out at his “navel-gazing” federal colleagues while casting his vote in his marginal seat of Monaro. READ WHAT HE SAID
Deputy Premier John Barilaro has cast his ballot alongside his wife as he fights to retain his marginal seat of Monaro.
The prominent National Party leader holds the regional electorate in the state’s southeast by a slim margin of just 2.5 per cent making it one of the most marginal seats held by the Berejiklian Government.
Road infrastructure, health services, frustration over Sydney-centric policies and public transport woes were on the minds of the 56,943 voters in Monaro in the lead up to polling day.
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With the federal Coalition on track for an election thumping in May, Mr Barilaro has tried to distance himself from the Morrison Government.
After casting his vote this morning, Mr Barilaro repeated criticism of this federal colleagues claiming they have caused a distraction during the campaign.
“Over the prepoll period it’s clear that voters have been able to distinguish the difference between state and federal politics. The issues they are raising with me are state issues,” he said
“But there has been a lot of noise in relation to the feds, of course (they’re) upset at our side because we are continually navel-gazing.”
“There is no question whenever the feds are talking about themselves that always … play into the campaign.”
National party sauces told The Sunday Telegraph they felt “somewhat confident” the small business minister would retain his seat based on his strong personal profile in the area.
But several of Mr Barilaro’s National Party colleagues are on tracked to be booted from parliament with junior coalition partner representing four of the Berejiklian Government’s six most marginal seats in NSW.
The opposition is hopeful its candidate, former science teacher Bryce Wilson who served as an adviser to Peter Garrett, can return the seat to Labor for the first time since 2011.
Mr Wilson told The Sunday Telegraph that Labor had doorknocked 25,000 houses in the lead up to polling day. He said Mr Barilaro would be hard to beat given his strong campaign and his profile in the region.
“People voting for John Barilaro are voting him not the National Party,” Mr Wilson said.
“If he gets there it won’t be because of his party, he’s run it like an independent.”
The Monaro electorate includes the town of Queanbeyan on the ACT-NSW border, Cooma, Braidwood and the NSW snowfields area.
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