Barnaby Joyce ‘hindered’ hopes for seat

OUTGOING Victorian Nationals leader Peter Ryan yesterday lashed out at federal ministerial colleague Barnaby Joyce.

Victorian Nationals leader Peter Ryan. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

OUTGOING Victorian Nationals leader Peter Ryan yesterday lashed out at federal ministerial colleague Barnaby Joyce, accusing him of undermining the party’s bid to hold on to a regional Victorian seat.

Mr Ryan said Mr Joyce’s comments on the $25 million SPC Ardmona bailout, which were reported during the election campaign, had hampered the party’s ability to hold the state seat of Shepparton.

Local lawyer and independent candidate Suzanna Sheed profited from the Agriculture Minister’s claims that it was up to the Liberal Party and not the Nationals to ­defend the nation’s only major fruit processing plant.

Mr Joyce’s comments sparked outrage in Shepparton, 190km north of Melbourne, and Mr Ryan yesterday said the row had added to the burden of the Nationals’ task of holding the seat, despite having held a 26 per cent margin. Ms Sheed is set to win the seat over Nationals candidate Greg Barr.

Mr Ryan, who quit yesterday as party leader, said federal factors had played a big role in the Napthine government’s defeat.

“I was annoyed and they were unhelpful; it happened at a point in time which was pivotal to us in that seat,’’ he said, “where a very well-organised ambush was mounted and we did not see it coming. Barnaby had some less than helpful things to say there that final week in Shepparton. It all bubbled over and that was unnecessary.’’

Mr Ryan was instrumental in ensuring the Victorian government provided a $25m bailout for the SPC operation after the Abbott government rejected the move.

While Mr Joyce is believed to have backed the subsidy in cabinet, he was reported last month flippantly declaring that Shepparton was in a federal Liberal seat and the “ultimate responsibility lies with the people who hold the seat’’.

The seat of Murray has been held by the Liberal Party’s Sharman Stone since 1996 and she campaigned strongly for Canberra to subsidise the SPC operations.

Mr Joyce said there was a substantial package for SPC achieved at a state level by Mr Ryan and the Nationals.

“During filming of the ABC documentary on the Nationals which occurred back in August I made this point a number of times,” Mr Joyce said. “I also recall the cheering and clapping from SPC workers in recognition of the package announced by the Peter Ryan-led Nationals.”

Mr Ryan also criticised the ­Coalition’s state election campaign as he stood down as the ­Nationals leader after 15 years.

He was elevated to the post after the 1999 election defeat and yesterday backed the retention of the Coalition agreement.

His former deputy Peter Walsh is the frontrunner to replace Mr Ryan when the Nationals’ partyroom meets this week.

“As a principle, I think the ­Coalition should remain intact. The Coalition worked absolutely superbly,’’ he said.

Mr Ryan also questioned whether the Coalition’s broader campaign had been savvy enough on social media and connecting ­directly with voters.

He said Labor had run a “consummate campaign’’ and that there were lessons to be learnt from the way it had been conducted.

“We simply did not sell or tell the people of Shepparton and the region enough about what had been achieved,’’ he said.