TONY Windsor says he’s David fighting against the Goliath of National Party Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce in their skirmish for the prized seat of New England, at the upcoming federal election.
Mr Windsor ended ongoing speculation yesterday - including that he could potentially run for a federal Senate post - by declaring he would challenge M Joyce, as an independent, to try and reclaim the electorate he held from 2001 to 2013.
During a media conference at Parliament House in Canberra, the former MP outlined the core issues he will campaign on in what will be intriguing, fierce and potentially bitter tilt at a political comeback.
Significantly, he pointed to climate change and its impact on farmers - one of Mr Joyce’s perceived weaknesses, especially in mainstream or metropolitan Australia - and key policy pillars of regional health, education and communications infrastructure.
Mr Windsor said the climate change issue was “completely avoided” in Mr. Joyce’s Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper released last year representing a glaring omission given the “stark reality” of challenges faced in New England and the Murray Darling Basin.
“How can any member in a country area dismiss climate change without any regard to the long-term future of the area they represent?” he said.
“Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull rightly believes we should acknowledge and engage in the climate change debate whilst, his deputy, Barnaby Joyce who still lives in denial is proving to be a handbrake on progressing this and many other critical issues for our future.
“There are an extraordinary number of major issues that need attention and are being blocked, not by the Senate, but by the right wing of the Coalition.”
Mr Windsor said he’d always fought for the people of New England but they’re now unhappy with what’s happening to their electorate and the nation.
“They have encouraged me to come back and fight for them and for that reason I have accepted and I intend to do so,” he said.
“I recognise this will be a David and Golliath battle - me against Mr. Joyce part of the political machine backed by its major donors.
“I will be running a grassroots campaign where I will be representing the people of New England and I appeal for their support.”
Mr Windsor said his former electorate had seen a decline in the standard of representation, demonstrated by; the federal government’s approval of the Shenhua Watermark mine; the loss of the defence contract at the BAE Flying College; and downgrading Tamworth’s NBN rollout.
“This is the first time since I started in politics that I’ve seen circumstances where the local issues of a country electorate align with the major national issues,” he said.
“The effort made by the current federal member is not in the best interests of this electorate.”
But Mr Joyce hit back at his arch rival saying the ongoing speculation about whether Mr Windsor would challenge for New England or not was a “circus”.
He said the Shenhua coal mine was not approved and there was only mine he knew of in New England, at Werris Creek, “And Mr Windsor would know more about that than anybody else”.
“My phone's been ringing off its hook with people saying that they're backing the job that we're doing in the New England,” he said.
“Obviously we have the Deputy Prime Minister's office in New England and there is a real strategic advantage with that.
“I would question why someone would make an announcement about New England in a Senate room in Canberra.
“If I was making an announcement about New England, I would probably do it in New England.”
Mr Joyce also warned against going into politics based on a perceived personal vendetta.
“You should go into politics for the purpose to serve and you should be clear and precise and diligent and absolutely not equivocate,” he said.
“When I came home to the New England, I resigned from my job in the Senate - I was basically unemployed.
“I moved my family and everybody down to the New England and I stood and I fought and we won.
“You have to show the people that you're fair dinkum and you show the people you're fair dinkum by basically putting it on the line and having a go and you don't equivocate.”
Mr Windsor also pointed to Mr Windsor’s record in the previous parliament where he used the balance of power negotiations after the 2010 election to form government with Julia Gillard’s Labor, rather than the Abbott led Coalition.
“We've had a Green Labor Party Independent government before,” he said.
“When Mr Windsor and Mr Oakeshott put into power the Labor Green Independent Government, there were so many people who were just bitterly disappointed.
“They have every right to go to the election and present their credentials as a Green-Labor Party-Independent alliance as they did last time.
“I will be standing for a Coalition in the Turnbull Joyce government - I'm the Joyce part of it.
“The rest is up to the good people of New England they will make the right choice.”
