Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

We are here on the last sitting of the 45th Parliament and the people of Cowper will have an important decision to make at the next election. They can choose a very fine National Party candidate in Pat Conaghan, a local man who grew up Kempsey, who was a policeman in Kempsey and who became a police prosecutor and, ultimately, a criminal lawyer. He is a person who knows the needs of our local area. But in the field for the next election we have a pretender, and that pretender is the former member for Lyne. He masquerades as an Independent, but we all know on the North Coast that he is Labor—Labor in Independent's clothing. So when the people move forward and come to the ballot box they will know that, if they choose the former member for Lyne, they will be voting for a retiree tax, they will be voting for a carbon tax, they will be voting to put Bill Shorten into the Lodge.

I know that the people of the North Coast don't want Labor. So, my advice to them is clear: don't vote for the sham Independent, the former member for Lyne. Vote for Pat Conaghan, the National Party candidate, a great local champion. He is someone who will stand up for the needs of the electorate of Cowper. He is someone who will ensure that the voice of Cowper is heard. The former member for Lyne propped up a government that did not spend one cent on mobile phone communications.

See this speech in context