By MATT NICHOLLS
THERE’S still no date set for the federal election, but that hasn’t stopped the politicking in Lyne.
Clive Palmer rolled into the electorate on Saturday to spruik his own party and candidates, while the Nationals flew in Liberal Party deputy leader Julie Bishop yesterday to pump up the Coalition.
With Independent MP Rob Oakeshott no longer in the race, bookmakers have Nationals candidate David Gillespie as the hot favourite to win on election day.
But Mr Gillespie isn’t taking anything for granted.
He and Ms Bishop spent yesterday speaking with people in Port Macquarie in a bid to gather information on the issues in the electorate.
“It is great that we have Julie in Port Macquarie today,” Mr Gillespie said.
“She’s a key member of the Liberal and Nationals team and will be a senior cabinet minister if we win government at the election.
“I invited Ms Bishop because I wanted to make sure that the interests of the Mid North Coast residents are front and centre in a Liberal and Nationals government.”
Yesterday morning, Ms Bishop and Mr Gillespie took a tour of Bale Defence, a Port Macquarie business that supplies military equipment and products to the Australian Defence Force, as well as other overseas markets.
Ms Bishop said small businesses could achieve big things and was impressed with the set-up at Bale Defence.
“I think it is invaluable to see how businesses operate in regional communities,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Palmer United Party (PUP) certainly thinks the battle in Lyne is far from a one-horse race.
New candidate Troy Wilkie spent Saturday with Mr Palmer following a late change last week.
Simon Rock was the endorsed PUP candidate for Lyne, but an illness in the family forced him to withdraw from the race.
Mr Wilkie was previously the party’s candidate for Sydney, but decided to return to Port Macquarie to represent his home electorate.
“I could not be prouder, more honoured or humbled,” Mr Wilkie said.
“Not only am I standing in the federal election, but I am contesting the seat of Lyne, the beautiful area which I grew up in.”
Mr Wilkie, a freelance actor and small business owner, described himself as a libertarian.
He grew up in Port Macquarie and graduated from St Columba Anglican School.
Although Mr Wilkie spent all Saturday with Mr Palmer, the billionaire appeared to forget his new candidate’s name on Monday.
In an interview with the ABC, Mr Palmer hung up on the presenter when quizzed if he knew the Lyne candidate’s name.
He told the presenter the candidate “lives in Lyne” and has “done a really good job”, but when asked for his name again, Mr Palmer said “I’m not going to be quizzed by you on rubbish”, before hanging up the phone.
