LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
IN a stunning show of underhanded politics, Nationals Party leader Barnaby Joyce has seen fit to relegate Darren Chester, Federal Minister for Transport and Infrastructure and representative of the Gippsland electorate, to the backbench.
In an effort to balance out state minister numbers and bolster Queensland voter confidence, Mr Joyce has taken away Gippsland’s voice in federal politics.
The fact that Mr Joyce has chosen to repay loyal Nationals voters in the Gippsland electorate by relegating their local member to the backbench for the sake of appeasing the Queensland sect portrays the party as being a poorly controlled shambles.
The issue transcends the Nationals party now, affecting the entire Coalition government.
In the same breath, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called Mr Chester an ‘outstanding minister’, only to then distance himself from the decision, placing the blame squarely on Mr Joyce.
Yet the Prime Minister allowed this cabinet reshuffle to go forward nonetheless.
Mr Turnbull is doing neither himself nor the people of Australia any favours by allowing the integrity of his Coalition government to be compromised by Mr Joyce’s inability to keep the state factions under control.
Replacing Mr Chester — a seasoned minister who has held the Gippsland seat since the 2008 by-election — with David Littleproud, who has been a minister for less than 18 months, sets a bad precedent for the Coalition.
Deciding who gets to sit at the parliamentary table based not on merit and experience, but for the sake of quelling internal party disquiet, does nothing to solidify the integrity of the government in the eyes of voters.
Why does Gippsland deserve to suffer for the sake of party politics?
The 27,000 square kilometre electorate is regarded as one of the safest Nationals seats in the country, with the party having held the seat since its transition from the Country Party to the new banner in 1983.
Mr Chester most recently kept the seat in 2016 with a 68.4 per cent vote, outstripping Labor’s 31.6 per cent.
For better or worse, this Nationals reign has, at the very least, brought with it a certain amount of political stability, and regardless of political preference it is concerning to see Gippsland’s federal representative sidelined so abruptly.
The worry for many Gippsland residents now is whether, like their local member, their issues and needs will be relegated to the backbench.
In a region that has been largely ignored by a number of incumbent state Labor governments, the voters of Gippsland must be wondering how and when their loyalty to the Nationals seat will be rewarded with a voice in parliament.
Gippsland is an electorate that needs its concerns voiced on a federal stage.
A dairy powerhouse of Victoria, the region has been hit hard on many fronts in recent years, from the milk crisis to the decline of the timber industry, and shutting down of the Hazelwood power station in March last year.
Coupled with the traditionally low levels of investment in road and rail infrastructure, it is no wonder that the voters greeted the elevation of their local member to a federal cabinet portfolio with a certain amount of hope after years of neglect.
Mr Chester’s proposal for a huge upgrade to the lagging regional Victorian rail and road networks was a point of anticipation for many in the region.
That may all be for naught, as it is doubtful that Barnaby Joyce’s takeover of the Transport and Infrastructure portfolio will result in him wishing to bolster infrastructure anywhere other than in his own state electorate.
The possibility for Gippsland to be forgotten once again in a period in which a revitalized road and rail network may bring much-needed tourism and financial stimulus into the region is greatly concerning.
The onus is now on the government to, at the very least, respect the intentions of the man they have shelved, and ensure that Mr Chester’s Victorian regional infrastructure program is not sidelined in favour of other projects.
Gippsland has been loyal to the Nationals, and by extension the Coalition government, now it’s time for the government to show that it is willing to give something back.
