Scott Morrison spruiks Gladys Berejiklian to Wagga Wagga voters ahead of by-election
PRIME Minister Scott Morrison has encouraged voters in Wagga Wagga to support Gladys Berejiklian and the NSW Liberal Party following the Premier’s concerns that Canberra’s leadership chaos could spark a blistering backlash at the booths in tomorrow’s by-election.
NSW
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PRIME Minister Scott Morrison has encouraged voters in Wagga Wagga to support Gladys Berejiklian and the NSW Liberal Party following the Premier’s concerns that Canberra’s leadership chaos could spark a blistering backlash at the booths in tomorrow’s by-election.
Days out from the critical poll, triggered by the resignation of disgraced former Liberal MP Daryl Maguire, Mr Morrison applauded the “very hardworking” NSW Premier for her contribution to regional areas.
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“Gladys Berejiklian leads a state government that is getting things done in NSW,” Mr Morrison said yesterday at a doorstop in the NSW border town of Albury, the birthplace of the Liberal Party in 1944.
“They’re getting on with the infrastructure, with the investment, the proactive position she’s taken when it comes to the drought, working with her federal colleagues, working on the ground, working with her National Party colleagues.”
Mr Morrison said he had known Ms Berejiklian for a “long time” and described her as “very focused” and “very hardworking”.
“I know the circumstances of that by-election but how NSW continues to be run is really the issue here and how that is supporting regional areas,” he said.
“I’d encourage them to support the Liberals this weekend because the Berejiklian government is doing the right thing by regional NSW.”
Mr Maguire fell on his sword after the Independent Commission Against Corruption revealed secret recordings of him using his parliamentary position to tout for kickbacks from Chinese property developers.
In the lead-up to last month’s leadership chaos in Canberra Ms Berejiklian warned her MPs to put distance between the state and federal Liberal “brands” as they headed for a NSW election scheduled for March.
The Daily Telegraph yesterday also revealed internal Liberal polling showing the party’s primary vote in Wagga Wagga had dropped 12 points in the aftermath of the federal spill.
While he avoided mentioning the spill directly, Mr Morrison yesterday touched on the need for positive politics, saying: “You can’t just be about what you’re opposed to, you’ve got to be about what you’re for.”