National Party Politicians blame gun issue for poor election result
by Genevieve Barlow
The Weekly Times (Victoria)
7 October 1998
Edited version
Guns laws shot down the National Party's vote in Victoria and New South Wales in Saturday's feredal election. Thats the claim of affected candidates who conceded they had lost votes to One Nation over the Coalition's 1996 gun ban. The protest vote registered loudest in the safe seats held by the party's highest profile members, including leader Tim Fischer and former cabinet member Peter McGauran. But Primary Industries and Energy Minister and Deputy National Party leader John Anderson felt it most. Mr Anderson's first preference vote was savaged by almost 17 per cent in his northern NSW seat of Gwydir, which recorded a 21.42 per cent One Nation vote, the biggest in any NSW seat. "It's the rural seat with the largest number of towns and, in part, this was about guns. There is clearly a message sent that people are not happy about guns but there is not much we can do about that."
"The sleeper was guns and, in their eyes, it was payback time," said Federal member for Gippsland Peter McGauran, who suffered a seven per cent swing and one of the states's highest One Nation votes.
In country Victoria's largest seat, Mallee, John Forrest also felt the chill winds of discontent. He suffered a 13 per cent swing, with One Nation grabbing 12.75 per cent of first preferences. But Mr Forrest was in no doubt as to the source of One Nation's vote, claiming even his own family could have been among detracting voters. "I have 18,000 licenced firearm owners in my electorate and some of them are my best friends," Mr Forrest said. "They have been saying "we are not happy and we're going to let you know".
"I have got brothers with firearms and the (gun law) stuck in their craw."
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