Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

Minister Hunt accompanied Minister Joyce to his own electorate and said, after all these months, if not years, of debate on the Shenhua mine, three weeks from the state election: 'We're stopping the clock!' They stopped the clock all right—until 29 March. That is when they have stopped the clock until—29 March. So I appreciate the parliamentary secretary's intervention.

At the moment we are seeing extraordinary admissions of fault and backdowns and stunts from this government for one primary purpose—to save Mike Baird in New South Wales. And we know that Mike Baird—as he knows—that, despite his very significant margin in the Legislative Assembly in New South Wales, is in all sorts of trouble. He is in all sorts of trouble in all sorts of places. None the least—and members need to listen carefully, because they will not believe what I am about to say—not the least in Upper Hunter.

Guess what the relationship is between Upper Hunter and the Minister for Agriculture? They share the area.

Mr McCormack interjecting—

The Minister for Agriculture is very, very nervous about where Upper Hunter is leading. The parliamentary secretary says, 'Oh, Michael Johnsen will win.' He, for the benefit of those listening, is the National Party candidate. He is also the bloke that has three times run against me and three times lost. As a reward, he is being given a safe state seat, where my very good friend George Souris is retiring. But—guess what, Mr Deputy Speaker—it did not quite turn out that way. It appears that Upper Hunter is not so safe after all. That is why they are spending so much money. That is why they are sending their young guns in to campaign. And that is why Minister Hunt was in Barnaby Joyce's electorate and the electorate of Upper Hunter last week: they are worried.

The Labor Party has an excellent candidate by the name of Martin Rush. He is the Mayor of Muswellbrook and has been since, I think, 2008. He is a champion guy doing good things in his local community.

The National Party are on the run, just like they are on the run right around this country. They are on the run for two reasons. Country Caucus has got them on the run: the Labor Party is putting forward good policies in rural and regional Australia and holding them to account for the way they have walked away from what they would describe as their natural constituencies. And they are on the run due to their own failings and incompetencies.

This is a dysfunctional government. It is having an effect most in rural and regional Australia. It is catching up with the National Party, and I can promise them one thing: we are going to hunt them all the way to the next federal election.

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