The Coalition was bushwhacked by the independents, says Ron Boswell

The Coalition had been "bushwhacked" by independents in talks about which party they would support, Nationals senator Ron Boswell said yesterday

The Coalition had been "bushwhacked" by independents in talks about which party they would support, Nationals senator Ron Boswell said yesterday

Senator Boswell, a member of the upper house for 28 years, said Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott, the independnets and former National Party members' voting history showed they were Labor Party supporters.

The third independent involved in the political kingmaker discussions since the election, Bob Katter, has been involved in bitter recriminations with Senator Boswell for years.

"It is well known that Bob and I have had our differences, and I am not going to say anything about him because on this occasion he did the right thing and supported the conservatives," Senator Boswell said.

"The electorates of Lyne held by Oakeshott and New England held by Tony Windsor had the highest non-Labor vote in NSW at the election, yet they interpreted that as being a message to support the government.

"We were bushwhacked. Windsor was beaten by John Anderson twice for preselection and he has had a chip on his shoulder against the Nationals ever since," he said.