Singleton's best known coal mining employee, Stuart Bonds, says his ambition remains to oust Joel Fitzgibbon in the federal seat of Hunter.
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But in the meantime he has chosen to throw his support behind Shooters, Fishers and Farmers' (SFF) candidate Sue Gilroy in the May 22 by-election for Upper Hunter.
Speaking in Singleton this morning alongside Ms Gilroy he said the SFF policies matched his views especially the fact they were pro-coal mining and ensuring mine workers' entitlements are protected.
Mr Bonds rose to prominence in the political sphere when he represented One Nation in the May 2019 federal election and almost caused the biggest upset when he came close to defeating Mr Fitzgibbon in what was considered a very safe Labor seat.
Since that time however Mr Bonds and One Nation have parted ways due to the latter's decision on May 18 this year to support the Federal Government's industrial relations bill in the Senate a move which Mr Bonds says was a betrayal of workers rights.
"I have spent two years fighting to protect workers and then One Nation betrays the workers," he said.
Mr Bonds spent much of his endorsement speech being highly critical of Labor's candidate Jeff Drayton whom he described an a union representative not a coalminer.
He said Mr Drayton had not protected local mine workers and allowed what he said were rogue labour hire companies to rip off workers by stealing tens of millions of dollars in wage theft.
Commenting on other Upper Hunter issues he said the people creating the wealth, that is spent elsewhere in the state, were dying on local roads as they were driving to work to create that wealth.
He said the community had waited too long for a bypass and the plans for the proposed bypass were inadequate.
"There is a stretch of road between the end of the Hunter Expressway and start of the proposed by-pass where 13 people have died," he said.
"We need a dual lane connection between the Hunter Expressway and bypass and the bypass needs to be dual lane."
Ms Gilroy thanked Mr Bonds for his endorsement saying it was a big step for him and it was a hard decision.
As part of her pitch to the mining workforce she said SFF would require, as part of the consent orders for new mines and or expansion plans, that 75 per cent of the workforce must be full-time employee positions.
Speaking about preferences Mr Bonds said vote one SFF and put the Greens last and Labor second last.
Louise Nichols
From cattle to coal. Once a specialist agriculture writer today its about community, in particular, the Upper Hunter. I have lived and worked in the region for more than 30 years. Land use issues and the future direction of our region. But you cannot take ag out of the picture - our food and how we grow it is the basis of all life. Covering the Hunter and Mid North Coast rural issues is now part of my role with ACM.
From cattle to coal. Once a specialist agriculture writer today its about community, in particular, the Upper Hunter. I have lived and worked in the region for more than 30 years. Land use issues and the future direction of our region. But you cannot take ag out of the picture - our food and how we grow it is the basis of all life. Covering the Hunter and Mid North Coast rural issues is now part of my role with ACM.
