THE region has two dark horses in the race for the leadership of their respective parties, with Barnaby Joyce and his neighbouring Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon both considered an outside chance of having a crack at the top job.
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Mr Joyce, who was recently re-elected as New England MP with an increased margin, has refused to rule out another tilt at the National Party leadership, while on Tuesday morning Mr Fitzgibbon suggested he would put his hand up to steer the Labor Party.
With a new-look front bench expected to be announced in the coming days, it's possible Mr Joyce may contest Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack for the top job.
Asked during the campaign if he wanted his old job back, Mr Joyce replied: "That is not a discussion for an election".
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Mr Fitzgibbon, who suffered a 10 per cent swing against him in the formerly safe Labor seat, said the party's impending leadership contest was a "once in a generation opportunity to shift back to the sensible centre".
Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen have formally declared their intent to contest the vacant Labor Party leadership.
Mr Fitzgibbon, a leading figure in Labor's right faction, said he would talk to each of the candidates and seek a commitment to return the party to the centre of politics after a campaign promoting a "progressive" agenda.
"We need to re-engage with our blue-collar base and put more focus on regional and rural Australia. Our performance in the regions was abysmal," Mr Fitzgibbon said.
"If no candidate commits to those things, I may have to consider running myself."
Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Jamieson Murphy
Newcastle Herald news director and business reporter. Interested in any and all yarns. Whisper g'day mate to me at jamieson.murphy@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Newcastle Herald news director and business reporter. Interested in any and all yarns. Whisper g'day mate to me at jamieson.murphy@austcommunitymedia.com.au
