The Australian claimed yesterday that the decision to double emergency funding to $1 billion was part of a Coalition deal for the National Party not to run against the Liberals in the pending byelection.

“The response to the drought issue is not linked to the Wagga byelection,” Mr Blair said.

“We have been working on this for some time now, before Wagga became an issue. Some of the parts of the state that need this assistance the most have nothing to do with Wagga.

“Someone in Tamworth, in Dubbo, in Walgett, someone even on the Southern Highlands or Braidwood, would be pretty upset if they thought their government was holding out to provide assistance because of a byelection in another part of the state.” 

Mr Blair toured the property of Wagga mixed graziers Kerry and Lisa Anderson on Tuesday following Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Deputy Premier John Barilaro announcing the expanded assistance package.

The NSW government will provide 50 per cent subsidies for drought stricken farmers’ freight costs for water and stock feed.

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Mrs Anderson said her property near The Gap had not suffered as much as areas to the north but the family would see significantly less farm revenue.

“We didn’t have a great spring last year and we haven’t had the rainfall this autumn,” she said.

“It has meant that we have had to feed sheep for an extended period of time; we thought that we had a lot of hay but we are rapidly running through it.

“Our crops should be a lot more advanced than they actually are.”

Downside livestock and Kelpie stud farmer Steve Condell welcomed the expanded drought assistance on Monday but questioned the $20,000 freight subsidy cap per farm business.

Mr Blair said many prior rounds of drought assistance had come with caps.

“When we have had transport subsidies in NSW and in other states there has been a cap,” he said.

“What we have done is highly consistent with previous practices.

“It’s a per annum cap and it will go a long way but that is not the only assistance and there are many other measures we have taken as part of this $500 package to make a difference to the hip pockets of farmers.”

Mr Blair pledged to support the Wagga byelection’s Liberal candidate, whom party members have yet to select.

“We have strong National Party representation here at a federal level but the fact of the matter is, at a state election with optional preferential voting, no one benefits from a three-cornered contest other than the Labor Party,” he said.

“The organisations have met and made a decision: the Liberal Party will run a candidate and I will be supporting whoever that candidate is to get elected.”

Snowy Valleys deputy mayor and paramedic John Larter told the Daily Advertiser that he would nominate for preselection but he could not make further comment.

Julia Ham, also a Snowy Valleys councillor, declined to comment in response to speculation within the party that she would nominate for the Liberals as well.

The Daily Advertiser understands that the Liberal Party will soon close nominations and plans to announce a candidate in the next few weeks, depending on the number of hopefuls that need vetting.

A Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party spokesperson said the party was still running checks on a “wide field” of potential candidates for Wagga.

The timing of the Wagga byelection will also influence when some parties announce their candidates.

Sitting Wagga MP Daryl Maguire has yet to resign from parliament more than 10 days after stating he would do so.

When Mr Maguire formally resigns, it will be up to the speaker of the lower house of NSW Parliament to declare the seat vacant and call for a byelection.