NSW by-elections: Troy Grant vows to stay on as leader as Orange shapes as battleground amid anti-Nationals campaign
EMBATTLED NSW Nationals leader Troy Grant has vowed to stay on as leader even if the party loses its prized seat of Orange, but at least one party official says the comments are ‘meaningless’ and pointed to a spill if the seat is lost.
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- Orange shapes as battleground amid anti-Nationals campaign
- Comment: The Nationals are broken and need a quick fix
EMBATTLED NSW Nationals leader Troy Grant has vowed to stay on as leader even if the party loses its prized seat of Orange.
The comments have been declared as “meaningless”, with at least one senior National declaring there would be a spill should the party fail to clinch a victory.
In one of the longest and bloodiest by-election campaigns in recent time, NSW Shooters, Fishers and Farmers joined with Labor and the minorities banded together to stage a “choose the Nationals last” campaign to seize on voter discontent over greyhounds and council amalgamations.
Talk show hosts Ray Hadley and Alan Jones further revved up emotions, visiting the electorate this week to hold a forum.
While conceding he would be disappointed to lose the seat, Mr Grant said he would remain as leader.
He also said voters had sent a message, and vowed they would be listened to in the post-election mop-up.
“I’m the leader of NSW Nationals today and I (intend) to remain the leader for the remainder of this term.
“There’s been commentary about messages being sent to us and I can assure everyone that we’ve heard those messages,” he said.
Senior Nationals said Mr Grant would “definitely not” remain as leader should the party lose the seat, with a spill motion to be moved as early as next week.
Likely candidates for the top job include Kevin Andrews, John Barilaro and Adrian Piccoli.
The Shooters needed a swing of almost 25 per cent to seize the seat that has been held by the conservatives since 1947, but went into the by-election confident.
A Labor volunteer said early indications were that more ALP and Shooters how-to-votes were being taken than other parties.
Casting his vote in Orange yesterday morning, greyhound breeder Greg Board was among many disaffected voters who abandoned the Nationals. The once staunch supporter said the greyhound ban had been the “last straw”.
Sources pointed to the historic trend of large swings against incumbents in by-elections.
NSW Shooters, Fishers and Farmers candidate Philip Donato was counting on the disgruntled Nationals votes to take the seat.
“The Nationals have forgotten their base, which is why earlier this year we added farmers to our name as I believe we represent their views, not the Nationals.”
AS the Nationals struggled at the polls in Orange, Labor survived its own by-election test in Wollongong and Canterbury.
Labor candidate Paul Scully had been expected to face a tough battle to hold Wollongong under a stern challenge from independent Gordon Bradbery.
The current Lord Mayor won a 12 per cent swing, but it was not enough to topple Labor, who got a 9 per cent swing.
The Liberals did not contest either Canterbury or Wollongong.
Wollongong was left vacant when sitting MP Noreen Hay resigned in August after an investigation into allegations of electoral fraud that resulted in one of her political staffers facing charges.
Opposition Leader Luke Foley made an appearance in Wollongong yesterday to boost the Labor campaign, declaring his own position was safe even if the party had lost the seat.
NSW Labor Party general secretary Kaila Murnain said: “Greyhounds was the big reason why Mike Baird visited Wollongong once in the past three and a half months.
“The privatisation of Shellharbour Hospital and the Liberals’ neglect of manufacturing jobs in the area was also a big factor.”
Campaigning at Farmborough Public School in Unanderra before polls had closed, Paul Scully said he was reasonably confident.
“It’s been a really positive response to Labor’s plan today,” Mr Scully said
His main challenger Mr Bradbery was also in a confident mood before the polls closed.
“It’s hard to call but the feedback is very encouraging,” he said.
Labor also cruised home in the Canterbury bi-election, enjoying a 15 per cent swing.
The seat, in Sydney’s southwest, was held by Labor but left vacant by Linda Burney’s successful decision to run for Federal Parliament.
Former Upper House MP Sophie Cotsis, the Labor candidate, easily won the contest ahead of the Christian Democrat and Greens candidates.
COUNTRY PARTY IN TATTERS BECAUSE IT FORGOT
WIN or lose, the Nationals will wake up today a broken party.
After being held by the conservatives for almost 70 years and going in to yesterday’s by-election with a 21 per cent margin, the seat of Orange should never have come close to being in play.
But it did and as many Nationals handing out how-to-votes were stating privately yesterday that the party must rethink its core values.
In a long and ugly by-election campaign, the party was forced to resort to making millions of dollars of commitments as it sought to retain its votes.
A cynical electorate may ask where the money was two years earlier when it handed the seat to Andrew Gee, who triggered the by-election when he skipped to Canberra.
If there is a lesson to be learned from Orange, it is that the Nationals can no longer automatically lay claim to the bush. Labor long ago rebranded its rural branches “Country Labor” to move into Nationals heartland, while the NSW Shooters and Fishers earlier this year added “Farmers” to its title to accommodate disaffected conservative voters whose views were no longer represented by the former country party.
The party is also under siege by independents.
What voters want is a party that represents them and listens — and as leader Troy Grant has learned, that may mean taking it to NSW Premier Mike Baird.
What voters do not want is a puppet - and as Orange greyhound breeder Greg Board said yesterday, the lack of fight the Nationals gave when Mr Baird moved to shutdown a key local industry, that is how Mr Grant appears.
The same with council amalgamations and land-clearing laws.
Country people have long loathed being told what to do by city counterparts.
But that is exactly how they feel.
Handing out how-to-votes at Bletchington Public School yesterday, Mr Grant cut a lonely figure amid the noisy army of Labor and Shooters volunteers.
Standing at time awkwardly with his hands clasped, many voters walked past, seemingly unaware of the Nationals leaders’ presence.
As one senior Nationals MP said yesterday, the scare in Orange is maybe what the party needed to address its irrelevance.
To go back to the drawing board, and work out what it and who it stands for.
— LINDA SILMALIS
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