Former Member for Riverina Kay Hull has categorically denied rumours that select National Party members want NSW MLC Wes Fang disendorsed.
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Mr Fang found himself in hot water last month after texts leaked to the media exposed him calling Liberal MP Matthew Mason-Cox a “c---” and threatening to “f---ing well come after” him.
However, Ms Hull repeatedly insisted that no National Party members had expressed to her any desire to disendorse Mr Fang.
“I stand behind him 100 per cent and I’m not aware of anyone who is yet to call for Wes to be disendorsed within our party,” Ms Hull said.
“The problem we have in public life, which we sign up for, is you can do 1000 things right and nobody notices, but you do one thing that people think is unacceptable and you end up in every media story.”
The text messages in question then fuelled what appeared to be an already growing divide between the Liberal and National parties during the Wagga byelection.
Well-known Wagga political figure Colin Taggart said there was absolutely no excuse for Mr Fang’s vulgar language and that he should not have been let off the hook so easily.
“Nobody likes the C word, especially women, and bullying and harassment isn’t appropriate anywhere at any time,” Mr Taggart said.
“To think Kay Hull would come out, stand by her man, and support that is just outrageous – it needs to be condemned.”
Ms Hull agreed that Mr Fang’s language was “absolutely unacceptable”, but said it was not a true reflection of who he was as a leader.
“The byelection was a highly emotive time here in Wagga – I do not condone that type of language, however, it was not Wes Fang that leaked the private text between him and another person,” she said.
“I think it says more about the person who leaked a private text than it does about Wes Fang.”
A NSW Nationals spokesman said rumours that party members had been calling for Mr Fang’s disendorsement were entirely false.
“Not only has there been no discussion about it that’s taken place, but there’s been no steps to even begin the process that would see that result,” he said.
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