By JONATHON HOWARD
NATIONALS Party MP Barnaby Joyce may have successfully contested the seat of New England during Saturday’s Federal Election, but all eyes were on Australia’s richest woman, Gina Rinehart, who stole the show during the election after-party in Tamworth.
Ms Rinehart told journalists she was invited by Mr Joyce and that it was her first visit to Tamworth.
Members of the public later described her as both “friendly” and “charming” as she worked the room and mixed with Barnaby supporters and journalists.
Questions were later raised as to why Ms Rinehart had made the decision to attend the election after-party in Tamworth – an area where she has zero mining activity.
Speculation has already begun to surface that Australia’s richest woman could someday launch her own political career following Clive Palmer’s election success.
Mr Joyce moved from the Senate to contest the seat of New England for the Nationals earlier this year and he was guaranteed the win after sitting Independent member, Tony Windsor, decided not to recontest.
Mr Joyce won the seat with 54.11 per cent of the primary vote with his nearest rival and Labor candidate, Stephen Hewitt, achieving only 11.76 per cent of the primary vote – by Monday’s count.
Tony Windsor, Independent powerbroker in the last government, held sway for 12 years as the local federal member and before that nearly as many years in State Parliament.
Nine candidates lined up for the federal seat of New England, among them two new Independents.
Mr Joyce campaigned for nearly four months, criss-crossing the tablelands and plains region trying to convince voters he was a legitimate heir to the once-Nationals stronghold.
But Mr Joyce added a few hundred kilometres for the rest of polling day and by mid-afternoon after tracking across about 20 different centres in an electorate of 60,000 square kilometres, he was back in Tamworth.
“I’m just so happy the campaign is over but I have tried to do a big city, small town and remote area each day, but it has been tiring,’’ Mr Joyce told reporters.
“The mood has been good. I think people will give us the benefit of the doubt but you’ve always got to be extremely careful you don’t sound egotistical, otherwise people will take a chip out of you.’’
