THE NSW Deputy Premier and state Nationals Leader, John Barilaro, made it clear this week that he does not believe “mudslinging” has a place in the upcoming election, but denies the recent scandal involving then-Country Labor candidate Martin Rush was an example of it.
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Mr Rush, who is also the Muswellbrook Shire mayor, stood down on Tuesday from the race, which he was expected to strongly contest, following an article in the published in The Sun Herald at the weekend about an alleged offence that occurred in 2018.
It has been seen as a positive for the Nationals that someone of his stature is no longer running for the seat, as it will be difficult for NSW Labor to find an adequate replacement on such short notice.
Incumbent Upper Hunter MP Michael Johnsen was responsible for sending a letter, which he received anonymously from a source making the accusations, to Hunter Valley Police District as he was required to do by law.
However, members of the public have questioned who leaked the information to the media and Labor party headquarters.
Fuel was added to the fire when he declined to comment on whether or not he had passed the letter onto anyone aside from law enforcement.
Visiting Muswellbrook on Thursday, Mr Barilaro said he was personally unaware that a tip had been shared with The Sun Herald or any other news organisations, let alone who was responsible for it.
“I was aware it was raised with the police and the Labor Party because it was a Labor candidate but I’m not sure who else or where else [it was sent] beyond that,” he stated.
He did, however, condemn dirty politics and cited the ugly incident last year, which saw at-the-time opposition Leader Luke Foley step down from his role after an incident was outed using parliamentary privilege, which went against the wishes of the woman involved.
“There’s a lot of question marks [over that] and parliamentary privilege should never be used for that purpose,” Mr Barilaro said.
“And, I’m one who agrees with that position and people are entitled to their privacy, especially when it’s an incident that affects someone on a personal level.”
Parallels have been drawn between the two events, with the woman at the centre of the Rush allegation also not wanting the incident to go public.
The Deputy Premier talked down those links though, given the letter came from a third party and there had been no final word as to who was responsible for the media becoming aware of the event.
Although it’s unlikely to be confirmed where the leak came from, it was made obvious by the Nationals Leader’s rhetoric that he would be severely disappointed if it was from within his own ranks.
