Supporters of former independent MP Tony Windsor rallied on social media yesterday, bombarding Fairfax Media’s online poll asking if voters would prefer to see him or his successor, Barnaby Joyce, represent the electorate.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Though Mr Windsor’s re-tweet shot him to a clear lead, the man himself indicated he was still waiting to see which way the wind would blow.
“It was interesting,” he said.
“I flicked on to that poll a few times. It was sort of interesting to watch it, but I have been waiting for the avalanche from the Nationals, which will come.”
I am in Canberra for a couple of days, going to have a chat to a few people down there. I have been invited to do a few jobs as well, but whilst I’m there I’ll catch up with a few people at Parliament House.
- Tony Windsor
Mr Windsor was on his way to Canberra when he spoke with the Inverell Times on Tuesday, with planned meetings in Lane Cove regarding the controversial Shenhua Mine, and at Parliament House.
The mine has been a sticking point since rumours of Mr Windsor’s political return surfaced earlier this year. In May, he said matters surrounding the water trigger and the Shenhua project could set him on the road back to politics, but has since played down rumours a return could be imminent.
“I’m thinking about it,” he said on Tuesday.
“I am in Canberra for a couple of days, going to have a chat to a few people down there. I have been invited to do a few jobs as well, but whilst I’m there I’ll catch up with a few people at Parliament House.”
Mr Windsor denied the figures would sway his decision, or that the overwhelming support was an attempt to gauge an election day response.
“I wouldn’t see it in that context,” he said.
“There is a more representative way of doing polls that if I was attempting to dip my toe in the water, I would be looking at a more strategic poll than an online poll.”
Mr Windsor has held a considerable lead, over 75 per cent of the vote, over incumbent Member for New England Barnaby Joyce since re-tweeting the link on Monday. Only a fraction of respondents indicated they were undecided.
The poll has attracted responses from across the nation, but when asked if the national opinion could reflect that of the electorate, Mr Windsor said “anything was possible”.
“But obviously, the old adage that the only poll that counts is the one on election day. That is the truth of the matter,” he said.
“These sorts of things might give people some sort of guide, but they are probably open to various groups of people bombarding them and no doubt you will probably see that from the nationals later on.”
For now, Mr Windsor said a return to politics was on the mind, but still undecided.
“Nothing has changed,” he said.
