Hartsuyker and the National Party “ineffective”: Oakeshott
INDEPENDENT MP Rob Oakeshott has hit out at conservative frontbencher Luke Hartsuyker, after Mr Hartsuyker said the Coalition would have delivered just as much for regional areas as the minority government.
Mr Hartsuyker's comments came after Mr Oakeshott said the minority government, under pressure from the independents, secured more than $9 billion for regional Australia during tense negotiations in 2010.
But Mr Hartsuyker said the Coalition had an expensive proposal for regional Australia, that would have been delivered, but Mr Oakeshott said the independents secured more from the Labor Party during the negotiations which Mr Hartsuyker was not involved in.
"Mr Hartsuyker now says that had the independents supported the Coalition, exactly the same outcome would have been achieved for regional Australia," Mr Oakeshott said.
"The question for Mr Hartsuyker is 'if regional Australia is so important, why was it ignored by his political party and Labor for so many decades?'
"Why did it take a written agreement and a minority government to finally deliver for regional Australia?"
Mr Oakeshott said Mr Hartsuyker and the National Party were "ineffective" in delivering the Coffs Harbour bypass, and that the Labor Party would not have delivered the same amount for the regions if the independent MPs had not forced the party's hand.
"If actions speak louder than words, the inaction from people like Mr Hartsuyker says it all about major party politics today," he said.
"It is the insults that seem to matter more to political parties than actual community results.
"And I'll always put results before insults."
