Thanks for the opportunity to have a Quick Word. Much is spoken of the city-country divide but surveys shows it to be a political beatup. Having worked in regional Vic for 30 years, I now live in Melb but retain connections and understandings. I am not alone. As a parent and grandparent witnessing accelerating climate change, I’d be keen to know why Barnaby Joyce keeps getting re-elected.
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The farmers vote him back in
Linley Valente there is not enough farmers to vote anyone in
Linley Valente sufficient first preference votes to be elected at the end of first count. Pretty solid support.
Linley Valente- As a farmer in his electorate I stopped voting for him years ago.
He represents a huge electorate that extends from the Queensland border down to the outskirts of Singleton. The spread geographically makes it very difficult for a potential candidate to have a community profile over the numerous diverse communities.
This gives an incumbent candidate a great advantage as they are already known. Further, they have an electoral allowance that enables them to advertise their presence, something that a new candidate does not.
The situation is compounded by the widespread myth that only the National Party has the knowledge and skills to represent rural areas, something that is being steadily eroded.
When a well known local, such as Tony Windsor arrives on the scene, the electorate has shown that it is prepared to support honesty, integrity and ability. As we have increasing disasters from climate change more people are going to connect the dots and realise that Joyce, Abbott, Morrison and their ilk are not the most competent, honest and in touch.
Because he works for regional Australia regardless of party lines – go Barnaby and thank you
He keeps winning because there is no credible choice, electorate has shown before that if a decent independent puts their hand up for election, people will vote for them.
I have spent too much time wondering about this, and come to the conclusion that it’s much more about voters’ identity than the person standing for election.
“I am Nationals voters, and I’ll support whoever the party preselects, regardless of their fitness or otherwise to do the job”
He keeps winning because there is no credible choice,electorate has shown before that if a decent independent puts their hand up for election,people will vote for them.
Chris Laurie I disagree. Adam Blakester stood against him some years ago. He’s intelligent articulate and aware of local issues and a great listener. He is now a local representative on council in Uralla and we a super lucky to have him. I think country NE is just stuck in its old ways and doesn’t like change, even if it’s good for them …. A bit like giving up old bad habits.
Kade Smith outside of uralla and armidale he is largely unknown,also do the names torbay and Windsor mean anything to you???
Chris Laurie I know Tony Windsor and Richard Torbay represented NE in the past. But you claimed there was no “credible choice” and I disagree. Adam travelled and spoke to almost every town in the NE. He was a “decent independent” challenging BJ but alas the conservatives in NE are very much stuck in the mud.
Chris Laurie a fence post has more credibility than Barnaby. Given a choice, I’d vote for the post, similar outcome with less noise.
Mark Kneen shows how ignorant you are.
Carly Knight I suppose if the fence post was red it would be a better comparison
Chris Laurie vote 1
Chris Lover Laurie for New England.
Adam Hone no thanks,all good here flappa lol
Chris Laurie they’ll have to be b…..y good to beat Barnsby. It’s you I….s in the cities that believe everting you hear about him.
Because he is real
Leonie Eason A real what?🤣🤣
Leonie Eason- real what ???? Really for Gina?????
All hat, no horse
So someone who has been working in “regional Victoria” and now lives in “Melbourne”, claims there is no country city divide 🤔 maybe go to the Central West NSW and see what those residents say ! The city country divide exists and it is most definitely there !
Tracey Anne- the more I look, the more I conclude that if anything it’s corporations and their billionares vs the rest of us if anything.
Simple. He gets more votes.
Because people are stuck in a time warp, still believe he is relevant & actually makes a difference 🫠🫠
Donna Uphill, or perhaps people in this area see throught all the lies ya being fed and live in hope someone with commonsense will keep our Australia real and not be bought off by greed and power joy ride.
Nanette Ellen I acknowledge your opinion & disagree 🤗
Donna Uphill no its because get actually cares for his constituents and where he lives. If you are voting on personalities or their private lives you might do well to remember Albo divorced his wife and has someone younger.
Robyn Sager big leap for you to assume I care about who he beds & if I find him likeable!
Robyn Sager perhaps you need to check the facts before commenting on peoples private lives.
Be still my beating heart ❤
He represents a huge electorate that extends from the Queensland border down to the outskirts of Singleton. The spread geographically makes it very difficult for a potential candidate to have a community profile over the numerous diverse communities.
This gives an incumbent candidate a great advantage as they are already known. Further, they have an electoral allowance that enables them to advertise their presence, something that a new candidate does not.
The situation is compounded by the widespread myth that only the National Party has the knowledge and skills to represent rural areas, something that is being steadily eroded.
When a well known local, such as Tony Windsor arrives on the scene, the electorate has shown that it is prepared to support honesty, integrity and ability. As we have increasing disasters from climate change more people are going to connect the dots and realise that Joyce, Abbott, Morrison and their ilk are not the most competent, honest and in touch.
John Nevin last time Windsor ran, he failed to get 30% of the primary vote. Joyce received 23% more of the primary vote than Windsor. The notionally conservative electorate has shown that it is not willing to support a member who installs a labor/greens government.
John Nevin Tony Windsor !!who he sell out to!!gas company biggest hypocrite ever to be a politician!!didn’t take the electorate long to wake up to him,!!!
Steve Hammond Tony Windsor achieved more for this electorate than any other Federal member in living memory. Most of the the members have been seat warmers like Joyce.
John Nevin well why wasn’t he re elected!!U can’t be that silly!!!
John Nevin Because he held Gillard by the S n Ts he got what he wanted. Then the electorate woke up and flicked him.
John Nevin how can you call Barnaby a seat warmer when he has held New England for 12 years?!
Every comment you make shows how delusional you are! 🤣
No matter what Windsor may have achieved, all he will be remembered for is selling out New England & getting whipped in his next attempt at re-election!
Steve Coxhead Joyce has been a good seat warmer for a long time – little to show for his seat warming.
John Nevin, Scone bypass, Bolivia hill realignment, Jewry St. bridge duplication, Chaffey Dam enlargement, numerous livestock selling centre upgrades, numerous phone towers, Quirindi water supply upgrades are just a handful of examples of what Barnaby has got for our electorate.
What did Windsor do? Sold out the electorate because he has a chip on his shoulder because the Nationals wouldn’t sweep his drink driving charge under the carpet!
Steve Coxhead many of those, such as the Bolivian Hill bypass, were obtained by the actions of Tony Windsor. Such large projects take some time for their completion. Joyce just happened to be the member when it was completed – he wasn’t responsible for getting the project under way.
Steve Coxhead- and when we have an independent who can work with both sides of the political sphere we would get a lot more done for the benefit of New England.
Politics is the art of negotiating.
We would get a lot more done if we taxed the top 5% of wealthy people like Gina Rinehart and the mining and resources export industry properly,
But I don’t see barnyard ever supporting that.
I have come to the conclusion that both sides of govt have sold us ordinary Australians out so much that we as a country should be moving to more of a direct democracy format, where ordinary Australians get to vote on big ticket items Luke Aukus.
I believe politicians are very well paid to be honest, but both sides don’t provide quality in what or how they do it.
John Nevin all Windsor did was talk about Bolivia. The plan devised when he was in office was a simple widening of the road & straightening some of the corners. Very different to what was built by the coalition government!
Charlie Begg how much money do state & federal governments get from mining royalties?
If the left really wanted to tax the rich, why didn’t they support Abbott’s plan to tax the top tier of businesses & fund paid maternity leave?
I’m in his electorate and I’ve never voted for him
Jill Cooper me either and never will
Barnaby keeps getting re-elected because he is saying what most people are thinking in his electorate just like Bob Katter has been doing for years with record votes.If you can not see that you have your somewhere where it shouldn’t be
Chris Kent Bob Katter is advising the Liberals to dump the national party because the Nationals are doing nothing for the country.
Chris Kent- sounds like you expect anyone with politically centralist views to go back to the cities to be honest ???
Have fun with your billionare funded lnp being in opposition for a long time yet.
Adam Blakester was an outstanding Independent candidate in the 2019 election. He was the most articulate intelligent candidate at the forum I attended at the Armidale Bowlo. A wasted opportunity for New England.
Robyn Norman vote independent most always side with Labor who atm are destroying Australia our industries and farmers
No offence but you cant expect to be a “one and done” and beat someone of Barnaby’s standing. You also cant expect to emerge at the start of electoral campaign and beat someone of Barnaby’s standing either. You have to be active in the community the whole time, not just voting time. Adam Marshall would be an example of someone who put in the hard work before hand within the community at local level before he was elected at NSW level. The fact Blakester has disappeared suggests that maybe politics was not for him? But I did find him to be a thoughtful, articulate person during campaign.
Denise Jakins- and you think the corporate billionare funded and run lnp represent you ??????
Looooooooooooooool – you must be stuck in a time warp if that is true.
Christine Roberts very true
Christine Roberts You have hit the nail on the head. We don’t need someone from Victoria telling us what to do in New England NSW. HEe can just go back to Melbourne or wherever and do what they do down there and we can look after ourselves- Don’t you worry about that!
Simple because people who run against him argue against his policies rather than argue on his effectiveness. I think most people around here agree with most of his arguments, whether he has been effective in achieving the things he argues for is debatable. Eg he blames greens and random frogs for no new dams but if he was effective in his job he would have found a way to make it happen by now. The looney left seem to be getting their policies up with far less representation in Parliament, why cant he produce a dam?
The more I look the more I conclude if anything, it’s a billionare class vs the rest of us thing if anything,
Taxing the wealth hoarding billionare class, especially the likes of the gas exports & mining exports at large would allow ordinary Australians to have a lower cost of living, and more infrastructure.
As a sydney private school educated sheep and cattle farmer.