TRADITIONALLY conservative Gundagai voters have put Nationals last in today’s federal election, in protest to the state government’s forced council mergers.
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It comes after Gundagai shire was wiped off the map in May, when elected councillors were sacked to make for a single political appointment despite vocal dissent.
More than 90 locals picketed the Gundagai High School polling booth with placards that read “Stop council mergers – put Nationals last” and “RIP to democracy”.
Former National Party official John Knight rallied the group to tell his old party “they can’t just walk all over” regional and rural communities.
“I'm predicting south Gundagai booth will, for the first time in 15 years, will go tot he Labor candidate,” Mr Knight said.
“I'm also predicting Michael McCormack's vote of 537 votes at the last election will be halved.
“If (Michael) McCormack gets 100 votes at this booth this year, I will be very surprised.”
Mr Knight, who has lived in the district for more than two decades, conceded the mergers were a state issue but that didn’t diminish his conviction.
“Whilst local government is essentially a state issue, we're sending a message to the National party in this federal campaign.”
Born and bred Gundagai local James Smith was scathing in his assessment of Mr McCormack’s advocacy.
“Michael McCormack turned his back on us,” Mr Smith said.
“The only thing worse than 1852 floods when the town literally flushed away.
“Council did everything by the book, but Mike Baird rode rough shod over our local democracy and (Cootamundra state MP) Katrina Hodgkinson) lied about supporting us.”
Gundagai resident Ian Clingan, who was among the protesters, echoed the same sentiment.
“Nationals claim to be the country party, but they’ve done nothing for us,” Mr Clingan said.
“The Nationals didn’t stand up for us.”
Michael McCormack has previously told The Daily Advertiser he stood up at a public meeting in Gundagai about his concerns and was on the record as saying Gundagai and Tumbarumba should stay independent.
Labor’s Tim Kurylowicz and the Greens candidate Kevin Poynter made hay from the political furore, standing cheek by jowl with the disaffected constituents.
