Upper Hunter by-election: Jodi McKay hangs on to Labor leadership

Federal Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon has made a bold threat to resign if Labor doesn’t pull itself together after the party’s NSW by-election loss.

Aftershocks from Saturday’s Upper Hunter by-election have been felt as far away as Canberra, as federal Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon threatened to walk away from politics.

While saying that he was still planning on contesting the next election, the outspoken pro-coal parliamentarian said: “But I will say this, I won’t stick around if the Labor Party doesn’t wake up to itself.”

Mr Fitzgibbon said that Labor had a “brand problem” and that “if we aren’t careful it will go the way of the Kodak brand”.

He also said his party was not sending clear messages on jobs and the environment and that voters had picked up on that.

Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon says his party needs to “wake up”. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Jodi McKay says she will be remaining leader of the NSW Labor Party. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

“(We) have tried to walk both sides of the fence on issues like work and on the other side, the environment. (Voters) are suspicious and sceptical,” Mr Fitzgibbon told 2GB’s Ben Fordham.

“Decisions like the one Labor took to oppose (Kurri Kurri), that scepticism. ­(Voters) shake their heads and say ‘you talk the talk but don’t walk the walk’.”

While adamantly refusing to criticise state Labor Leader Jodi McKay’s performance, Mr Fitzgibbon said the results of Saturday’s by-election were bad news for the ALP at the next federal election, due within the year.

Mr Fitzgibbon’s statements forced federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese to defend the performance of his state Labor counterparts, who saw their primary vote fall by 7 per cent and the Nationals increase their margin, despite a ­tendency for by-elections to go poorly for the incumbents.

Pointing out that Labor’s vote increased around the coalmining town of Muswellbrook, Mr Albanese said: “This is a seat that Labor has not held in the last nine decades.’’

Labor’s Pat Conroy, who represents the neighbouring seat of Shortland, said Mr Fitzgibbon should “shut up”, adding: “It shouldn’t come as a surprise that when you have the local federal Labor MP slagging off Labor for a year that the Labor vote is lower than it should be.’’

“His criticisms are both ­inaccurate and damaging to Labor both locally and nationally.’’