Nationals lay siege to their former fortress

The area around the regional hub of Wagga Wagga has traditionally been fortress Coalition.

Nationals candidate for Wagga Wagga Mackenna Powell on the banks of the Murrumbidgee.

The area around the regional hub of Wagga Wagga has traditionally been fortress Coalition.

The federal seat is held by Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and the Liberal Party had held the state seat since it was created in 1957.

To the south is Liberal-held Albury, to the northeast is Nationals-held Cootamundra, to the east is Liberal-held Goulburn, and to the southeast is Nationals-held Monaro. Yet, for the first time in its history, the voters in Wagga Wagga elected an independent, local GP Joe McGirr, in a by-election in September last year.

That by-election was triggered after their former member, Liberal Daryl Maguire, resigned amid corruption allegations, prompting seething anger in the community.

“The main reason I voted away from the big parties is I’m upset with the way they’ve been operating,” local business owner Michelle Greenwell said.

“When we went to vote, we did not want the Libs to get in.”

Dr McGirr won the seat by 9.6 per cent of the vote after preferences, with the Liberal and Country Labor candidates all scoring about 25 per cent of the primary vote. No Nationals candidate ran.

However, at the upcoming state election on March 23, the Liberals have vacated the contest for Nationals candidate Mackenna Powell.

“The Nationals have clearly put energy and resources into the campaign here, with mail-outs and visits by ministers. It’ll be a pretty significant challenge for sure,” Dr McGirr said.

“I think the anger is broader than with the conservative parties and what happened with the federal government.

“I think there’s a disenchantment with parties, full stop. That’s a strong theme.”

Dr McGirr said the residents of Wagga Wagga had been let down on issues of service and security.

“There’s a recognition that growth is important. We’ve had concerns about rural decline and people recognise there’s an opportunity for growth,” he said.

“But we need roads, hospitals, and services to match any growth. People want a safe and supported community, so police numbers need to be adequate for proper crime prevention.”

Dr McGirr said water supply, cost of living, and promoting renewable energy to respond to climate change were also important issues affecting voters ahead of the election.

Mr McCormack was in Wagga Wagga last night to launch the campaign of Dr McGirr’s Nationals rival, Mackenna Powell.

Ms Powell told the crowd: “I have lived here, studied here, and worked here all of my life.

“This is the party that will best represent you in rural and regional Australia.

“The Nationals are the party that define regional Australian — as Tumut, Wagga and Lockhart — not Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong.