Shock Nationals candidate prevails in Upper Hunter by-election

The preferred candidate of NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro has gone down in a shock ­pre­selection defeat ahead of the Upper Hunter by-election, losing out to a local engineer who gave himself only a ‘slim chance’.

NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro, left, with candidate David Layzell, centre, and NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet. Picture: Peter Lorimer

The preferred candidate of NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro has gone down in a shock ­pre­selection defeat ahead of the Upper Hunter by-election, losing out to a local engineer who gave himself only a “slim chance”.

Clarence Town resident and father of four David Layzell, 45, won the endorsement of 22 preselectors from the Nationals’ Upper Hunter branch, knocking off Singleton mayor Sue Moore — who was widely considered the favourite — in a vote sparked by the resignation of disgraced former MP Michael Johnsen.

In an email to The Australian before the ballot, Mr Layzell said he had a “slim chance” of being preselected, but managed to overhaul Ms Moore after delivering what Mr Barilaro described as “one of the most impressive speeches I have seen”.

The unexpected result compounds the Nationals’ tumultuous few weeks. The party has held the marginal seat for all its 90-year history, but are facing an ­uphill battle to retain it after Mr Johnsen was forced to resign from parliament over accusations he raped a sex worker in the Blue Mountains in 2019.

A long-time colleague of Mr Johnsen, Mr Layzell rejected suggestions he was “tainted” by the scandal which brought down the scandal-ridden MP, but conceded the by-election could go any way.

“They tell me that you never choose your timing in politics. If you’d asked me a month ago if I thought I was going to have a shot at becoming a member of parliament this year I wouldn’t have ­believed you,” Mr Layzell said.

“There’s no doubt it’s going to be a challenge, it’s going to be a horse race like no other. So all I can do is try to get on the track and run, run, run as fast as I can. And that’s what I’m planning.”

The defeat of Ms Moore will also likely reduce the Nationals’ chances of picking up votes in Singleton, the largest town in the Upper Hunter and Labor’s strongest area in the electorate.

The May 22 poll is shaping as pivotal for both the Coalition and Labor. While Coalition strategists are framing the by-election as a critical test of NSW Opposition Leader Jodi McKay’s credentials, a loss for the Nationals will firmly entrench the Berejiklian government’s minority.

The seat, which the Nationals hold by just 2.6 per cent, is on a knife edge. Former miner and CFMEU district vice-president Jeff Drayton is firming as Labor’s likely candidate for the large coalmining electorate. The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party are at short with the bookmakers. And One Nation has confirmed it will also put up a candidate — with its upper house leader and former federal Labor leader Mark Latham reportedly considering running for the seat.

While rejecting the suggestion that he was surprised by the preselection outcome, Mr Barilaro described his candidate as a “local champion” and implored voters to retain the Nationals, saying it wasn’t the time to be changing course.

“What we don’t need is external parties, individuals with big egos and personalities coming in and causing conflict on something that this community has worked on for decades in finding a balance,” Mr Barilaro said.

Deputy Labor leader Yasmin Catley said Mr Barilaro had been blindsided by the result and was on “shaky ground” after his preferred candidate lost, pointing to a slip where the Nationals leader mistakenly referred to Mr Layzell as a local councillor.

“Nobody was more surprised than John Barilaro,” she said. “It was obvious (he) doesn’t know that candidate from a bar of soap.”