Lib-nat Merger: 'i'll Quit The Party'

Sun Herald

Sunday June 8, 2008

By Heath Gilmore

THE grandson of the National Party's founding father predicts parliamentary members will walk out on a merger with the Liberals.

Nationals state MP Don Page, whose grandfather Sir Earle Page helped found the rural based party and served in Federal Parliament for 42 years, said the merger talks were doomed in NSW.

Mr Page said he would not serve in a merged entity and believed a number of his NSW parliamentary colleagues shared his views.

The desirability of a merger with the Liberals is being examined by a National Party inquiry under former federal leader John Anderson. This is due to report by the end of July, after the Gippsland byelection in Victoria.

Mr Anderson reportedly believes that on most issues the rural voice would be stronger if there was one larger rural group in a merged party.

While the Nationals and Liberals are moving towards merging into a single party in Queensland, senior Liberals and other Nationals forecast the two parties in NSW and Victoria, as well as federally, could be merged into a single entity by the end of this year.

At the NSW Nationals state conference next Saturday a motion from the Armidale and Guyra branches is seeking support for merger negotiations with the Liberals to begin.

Mr Page was adamant that the motion would receive little support. He said the Nationals' NSW parliamentary caucus and state executive were strongly opposed to a merger.

"We believe our current arrangement is the best way of serving our constituencies and winning the next state election," the Ballina MP said.

"A merger would give rise to a new rural based party or more independents. This is not in the best interests of country people with splinter groups forming to cover regional and coastal areas. We have a good relationship with the Liberals in NSW. There is no need to merge.

NSW Nationals treasurer Bryan Pape said the need to maintain separate parties had expired. He said the motion supporting merger negotiations at the state conference would indicate the level of support for the merger among the branches.

hgilmore@sunherald.com.au.

> Barnaby Joyce's view on the proposed merger, page 50

© 2008 Sun Herald

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