Talk back radio host Ray Hadley records ads for Labor to put ‘Nationals last’ in by election
POWERFUL 2GB broadcaster Ray Hadley is recording ads on behalf of Labor saying: “Send Troy Grant a message, put the Nationals last” in the by-election for the seat of Orange.
NSW
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POWERFUL 2GB broadcaster Ray Hadley is recording ads on behalf of Labor saying: “Send Troy Grant a message, put the Nationals last” in the by-election for the seat of Orange.
The extraordinary intervention from Hadley comes with confirmation yesterday that Labor and the Shooters are swapping preferences in the seat for the November 12 poll — as evidenced by How-to-Vote cards being distributed as pre-polls opened yesterday.
Despite Premier Mike Baird overturning the government’s greyhound racing ban earlier this month, the Hadley ads call on people to send a message to the Nationals.
The ads will run on Orange station 2GZ and are the idea of a Labor supporter who is friends with Mr Hadley, former 2KY newsreader Kevin Kahler.
Shooters MP Robert Borsak says the Labor-Shooters preference deal has a simple motive — the Shooters want to win the seat.
Such a deal between these two parties is unprecedented.
“We are preferencing Labor ahead of the Nats [because] we want to win the seat,” Mr Borsak said.
“The last polling we saw we were sitting 19-20 per cent, Labor were sitting on 22, the Nationals on 37.”
The Shooters would hope to finish second, above Labor, after the distribution of preferences and battle it out in a two-party preferred contest.
Deputy Premier Troy Grant yesterday labelled the preference deal “bizarre” saying “the Shooters, which claim to have farmers’ interests at heart, have teamed up with Labor which opposes us overturning native vegetation laws that are cruelling farmers’ ability to manage their own land.’’
Mr Borsak retorted: “Given the National Party’s lack of support on our [position] on native vegetation, they don’t deserve any better treatment.
“They shouldn’t be trying to read from the hymnbook on native vegetation to us,” he said, saying the Shooters tried to repeal Labor’s 2003 native vegetation laws in 2014 and the Nationals did not support the Bill.
The Nationals are now proposing replacement laws.
The Hadley ad is funded by Mr Kahler, who says he was incensed at the greyhound racing ban.
“All it is a commercial being [done] for a mate of mine who is a Labor Party supporter,” Mr Hadley said.
“His main problem is the greyhounds but he’s also filthy on the 2.3 billion dollar Korean train contract [the state government has entered into].
“I said to him ‘get the [script] to me and I’ll approve it.
“It just says what I have been saying on 2GZ for the last two months.
“The Nationals and Troy Grant need to be taught a lesson.
“I have had a meeting with the Premier last Wednesday ... where we sorted some things out.
“I haven’t heard from Troy Grant.
“Grant obviously thinks he’s 10 foot tall.
“You can’t treat constituents like offal and expect a 71-29 result [the winning margin of the Nationals at the last state election].
“There’s an arrogance in the Nationals in NSW that needs to be reined in.”
Mr Kahler said of the ads: “It will say ‘spoken by Ray Hadley, authorised by . . Country Labor’,” Mr Kahler said.
“That’s the thing I’m most happy about.
“I was incensed about the greyhound ban, they wouldn’t do it to the toff sport, it’s the working class sport.”
Opposition Leader Luke Foley referred questions on the matter of the Labor-Shooters preference deal to Labor’s general secretary Kaila Murnain.
Ms Murnain said in a statement: “The best way to send Mike Baird, Troy Grant and the Liberals and Nationals a message, is to put the Nationals last in the Orange by-election.
“The Nationals have taken Orange for granted.”
Also on November 12, Labor contests the seat of Wollongong against independent Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery.
Despite an expected swing against Labor, both sides of politics expect Labor to retain the seat.
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