‘Underhanded’: Bitter feud in NSW Coalition as Nats MP sacked

2 days ago 3

A bitter brawl has divided the NSW Coalition aft Opposition Leader Mark Speakman sacked a Nationals MP from his shadiness furniture for making derogatory comments astir the Liberals.

Speakman connected Friday axed Nationals MP Wes Fang from his beforehand bench, prompting Nationals person Dugald Saunders to instrumentality serve, insisting the absorption person had nary close to bash so. Saunders said Fang would stay shadiness adjunct curate for police, determination NSW and agriculture.

NSW Nationals MP Wes Fang was sacked from shadiness furniture connected Friday, sparking an interior war.

The bonzer interior warfare erupted aft Fang, known for his outspoken outbursts, slammed Speakman connected societal media for travelling to the Riverina, wherever Fang lives, without telling him.

Fang, an precocious location MP, posted connected X: “So ... the person of the NSW Liberal’s Mark Speakman slinks into Wagga Wagga pretending similar the Libs really attraction astir the Riverina.

“Did helium inquire the ‘Coalition’ subordinate who lives successful Wagga Wagga and is seemingly portion of his ‘team’ to person in-depth treatment of Wagga Wagga? No.”

Fang labelled Speakman’s actions arsenic “underhanded” and said the authorities absorption person would get much sum from Fang’s X station than from immoderate media covering the visit.

He finished: “That should archer you everything you request to cognize astir the longevity of Speako’s leadership”. The station was aboriginal deleted.

A root with cognition of the situation, but unauthorised to speak, said Speakman raised Fang’s behaviour with Saunders and asked him to reprimand Fang and region him from the shadiness cabinet.

Saunders refused to determination connected Fang, 1 of his cardinal supporters, truthful Speakman sacked Fang. Saunders was contacted but did not instrumentality calls.

In a connection precocious connected Friday, Speakman said: “The nationalist behaviour of the Hon Wes Fang MLC this week makes his positions arsenic a shadiness adjunct curate untenable.

“I person truthful terminated his appointments arsenic Shadow Assistant Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional NSW, and Shadow Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Natural Resources, with contiguous effect.

“I person invited the Leader of the Nationals, Dugald Saunders MP, to nominate different Nationals MP to capable the vacated positions.”

However, Saunders did not judge that Speakman had the authorization to region Fang,

“Today the Leader of the NSW Liberal Party Mark Speakman has attempted to region Wes Fang MLC from his adjunct shadiness curate roles,” Saunders said

“As Wes is simply a subordinate of the NSW Nationals, myself and my enactment squad person formed the presumption that helium is incapable to beryllium stood down successful this way.”

The past clip the Coalition faced a bitter divided was implicit the alleged koala wars successful 2020, erstwhile then-Nationals person John Barilaro threatened to divided with the Liberals implicit a little-known readying argumentation related to koala habitat.

The premier Gladys Berejiklian held her nervus and told Barilaro to backmost down oregon she would name an all-Liberal cabinet. The Nationals surrendered.

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