Time For Nationals To Be Independent

In my previous A Personal View I offered that with the election of more State and Federal Independents, the whole of Australian politics is transformed into transparent and accountable decision making and review by the whole of the parliament. 

 

I have received wide ranging feedback from this edition, and with the announcement that the new West Australian National MP, Tony Crook, seeing himself as sitting on the cross-benches of Federal Parliament with the Independents, highlights a path that if individual members of the National Party do not wish to travel then there is another that the Nationals should seriously consider. 

 

Today Tony Crook (Member for O'Connor) has met with his Party but refuses to meet as a coalition member in the joint party room.  This places him, as an Independent National, if there is such a term.  At first it may seem that he is a renegade amongst National Party members however perhaps he is the vanguard of change that the Nationals really should be considering to differentiate themselves from the Liberal party.  Perhaps the Nationals would be seen as 'Standing Up' to 'Move Australia Forward.'

 

It is my view that the National Party both nationally and in Queensland have continually sold themselves and their supporters short in their dogged attachment to the Liberals.  I would offer that the Nationals will gain a whole lot more respect, and votes, if they were true to themselves in supporting rural and regional Australians and offered themselves as the real 'Third Party', ahead of the Greens, in Australian politics.  This would mean approaching both major parties and demanding an official agreement to sign off on, such as the current Independents have done,  in return for the National Party support to form a Government.  It is not unknown in Australia for have a Labor/National Government. 

 

Imagine, if you will, the rewards for rural and regional Australia if the Nationals were to, THIS WEEK, seperate themselves from the coalition and their leader, Warren Truss, was to stand up and clearly articulate that they will support whichever major Party provides the best deal for rural and regional Australia.    Such an arrangement would certainly provide a spotlight on rural and regional areas to recieve our fair share of the resources currently being consumed by the major population areas.

 

No longer will the Nationals be the second cousin playing catch up and recieving a few of the 'bones of office' that the Liberals have left over for ministerial positions, they would be in a real position to demand, of both party's, what rural and regional Australia have been missing out on for so long, a fair share!  And all it costs the Nationals is the guts to gut the apron strings of the Liberals.

 

This is my personal view.

 

Mal