‘Underhanded’: Bitter feud in NSW Coalition as Nats MP sacked
A bitter brawl has split the NSW Coalition after Opposition Leader Mark Speakman sacked a Nationals MP from his shadow cabinet for making derogatory comments about the Liberals.
Speakman on Friday axed Nationals MP Wes Fang from his front bench, prompting Nationals leader Dugald Saunders to return serve, insisting the opposition leader had no right to do so. Saunders said Fang would remain shadow assistant minister for police, regional NSW and agriculture.
NSW Nationals MP Wes Fang was sacked from shadow cabinet on Friday, sparking an internal war.Credit: James Brickwood
The extraordinary internal war erupted after Fang, known for his outspoken outbursts, slammed Speakman on social media for travelling to the Riverina, where Fang lives, without telling him.
Fang, an upper house MP, posted on X: “So ... the leader of the NSW Liberal’s Mark Speakman slinks into Wagga Wagga pretending like the Libs actually care about the Riverina.
“Did he ask the ‘Coalition’ member who lives in Wagga Wagga and is apparently part of his ‘team’ to have in-depth discussion of Wagga Wagga? No.”
Fang labelled Speakman’s actions as “underhanded” and said the state opposition leader would get more coverage from Fang’s X post than from any media covering the visit.
He finished: “That should tell you everything you need to know about the longevity of Speako’s leadership”. The post was later deleted.
A source with knowledge of the situation, but unauthorised to speak, said Speakman raised Fang’s behaviour with Saunders and asked him to reprimand Fang and remove him from the shadow cabinet.
Saunders refused to move on Fang, one of his key supporters, so Speakman sacked Fang. Saunders was contacted but did not return calls.
In a statement late on Friday, Speakman said: “The public behaviour of the Hon Wes Fang MLC this week makes his positions as a shadow assistant minister untenable.
“I have therefore terminated his appointments as shadow assistant minister for police and emergency services, shadow assistant minister for regional NSW, and shadow assistant minister for agriculture and natural resources, with immediate effect.
“I have invited the Leader of the Nationals, Dugald Saunders MP, to nominate another Nationals MP to fill the vacated positions.”
However, Saunders did not accept that Speakman had the authority to remove Fang,
“Today the Leader of the NSW Liberal Party Mark Speakman has attempted to remove Wes Fang MLC from his assistant shadow minister roles,” Saunders said
“As Wes is a member of the NSW Nationals, myself and my leadership team have formed the view that he is unable to be stood down in this way.”
The last time the Coalition faced a bitter split was over the so-called koala wars in 2020, when then-Nationals leader John Barilaro threatened to split with the Liberals over a little-known planning policy related to koala habitat.
The premier Gladys Berejiklian held her nerve and told Barilaro to back down or she would appoint an all-Liberal cabinet. The Nationals surrendered.
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