Baird's Embarrassing Rebuke Shows The Nationals Have No Influence
Deputy Premier Troy Grant's rebuke by Mike Baird yesterday just shows how ineffective The Nationals really are in Government.
Mike Baird has also been calling-on other political parties for "doing deals" with the Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party. Robert Borsak's message to the Premier is simple: "Mike Baird: your predecessor did not fare well when he stopped talking to us. Do you really want to do the same?"
Shooters Fishers and Farmers MLC Robert Borsak hit back at Troy Grant's press release yesterday suggesting that the Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party "has proven to be ineffective in getting the Victorian Labor Government to a sensible position" on the Adler A110.
"Mr Grant needs to stop trying to deflect on his own failings to convince a Premier of the merits of an argument and look a little closer to home," Mr Borsak said.
"Just because Mr Grant and the Nationals have been unable to persuade Premier Mike Baird on the merits of lifting the ban on the Adler A110 shotgun doesn't give him license to blame crossbench political parties in other jurisdictions.
"Mr Grant's very public rebuke by Mike Baird yesterday must have been embarrassing for him, but it just shows how ineffective The Nationals are in Government. They truly are the subservient partner to the dominant Liberal Party in the Coalition," he said.
Mr Borsak speculated that Mr Grant's recent behaviour could be explained by his fear of losing the Orange by-election.
"Mr Grant is acting erratic on the eve of the Orange by-election, and it just shows that The Nationals are worried about our strong local candidate Philip Donato."
Mr Borsak also responded to reports that Premier Mike Baird had called-on Labor Opposition Leader Luke Foley to not do deals with the Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party.
"I hope these reports of Mike Baird threatening other parties that aren't supporting the incumbent National Party in the Orange by-election are false.
"The last thing we want to see are the good people of the electorate of Orange being threatened with no Government funding or projects for not supporting the National Party.
"It's this sort of born-to-rule arrogance that people in Orange, Blaney, Parkes, Forbes and Cabonne are sick of having. If the Coalition have stopped listening to the people of Orange they have nobody to blame but themselves.
"My message to Premier Mike Baird is this: your predecessor did not fare well when he stopped talking to us. Do you really want to do the same?"
