It’s great to be here in Tamworth on the back of what happened here last weekend.
Nobody should kid themselves. What happened here on Saturday was truly groundbreaking,
Indeed unprecedented in Australian politics.
Of course last Saturday was a day that was all about the candidates,
And can I give a big congratulations to the successful candidate, Kevin Anderson,
Who is of course with us here today.
But also to James Treloar, Russell Webb and Mark Rodda,
Congratulations to you all on a spirited preselection, fought on the issues and not the personalities.
To our State Director Ben Franklin who works so tirelessly, Christine Ferguson and their team at head office and our Duty MLC Trevor Khan,
Right down to all the grass roots party members who braved the cold on the day,
Our success last Saturday is a credit to the entire NSW Nationals organisation. You should all be proud that we pulled it off.
And it’s truly exciting for the future.
I’ll address the future shortly.
But to fully understand where we are going,
We must at look at how far we’ve come.

Regional NSW is a wonderful place to live. Not only do we have some of the most beautiful landscapes and sought-after surroundings in Australia, but we also boast warm and friendly people who make living in regional Australia such a joy.