comment, opinion,

HAVE the NSW Nationals seen off the long term challenge of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party? That’s the overriding question after by-elections in the NSW state seats of Murray and Cootamundra on Saturday. The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party had high hopes after winning the electorate of Orange from the Nationals in a by-election last year. In Murray, which covers Berrigan, Deniliquin and Murrumbidgee councils as well as Griffith, a former Nat Helen Dalton represented the Shooters. She faced off with newly-minted Murrumbidgee councillor Austin Evans, who the Nationals endorsed to follow in the path of former state education minister Adrian Piccoli. With a swing against the Nationals of around 20 per cent in Murray, and a similar rebuff in Cootamundra, voters made their disenchantment with the incumbents clear. But in the wash-up the Nationals will retain the seats and the new members can anticipate a better showing next time. They won’t have voters upset at having to go to a by-election due to a resignation and they will have the advantage of familiarity. That does not mean they won’t have to prove themselves. With Murray having been showered with visits from Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Nationals leader and deputy premier John Barilaro, locals are entitled to expect some concrete follow-up. Both those leaders have been installed since the Orange by-election and you can imagine if Mike Baird and Troy Grant, who oversaw council mergers, were still in power the results would have been worse in Murray and Cootamundra. The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party will be pleased at the big scare given to the Nationals, but it may have reached a high-tide mark in NSW lower house seats considering the favourable conditions it had for the by-elections. In Albury speculation about NSW Liberal MLA Greg Aplin has grown after he last week said he was considering his future. It is uncertain whether the Nationals will contest Albury if Mr Aplin quits, but the party’s argument to run against the Liberals would have been hard to sustain if they lost Murray and Cootamundra. The Nationals last ran a candidate in Albury in 1988 when Merv McIntosh stood for the party.

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