Lyne MP Rob Oakeshott has jumped to his own defence following a blatant attack from Opposition leader Tony Abbott.
Mr Oakeshott slammed Mr Abbott, after being accused of being integral in the making of “shambolic government in place”.
“Immediately following the September 2010 election, Mr Abbott failed to negotiate government,” Mr Oakeshott said.
“He couldn’t or wouldn’t negotiate on the issues of importance to rural and regional Australia, and couldn’t explain a $7 billion to $11 billion miscalculation in his pre-election promises.
“Since then, Mr Abbott has chosen not to participate in this Parliament; instead he has opted to do all in his political power to destabilise it. His constant call for an early election is an example of this on-going strategy to deny the reality of the 2010 election result.
“This 43rd Parliament, with crossbenchers, has been able to negotiate results for rural and regional Australia that haven’t been delivered by either side of politics for decades.
“As an independent MP, I will always make decisions based on the merits of the argument, and without vested or party political interests getting in the way,” Mr Oakeshott said.
“I will continue to contribute to this legitimate 43rd Parliament in a positive way, and invite all MPs, including Mr Abbott, to do the same.”
Mr Oakeshott said the Opposition leader’s allegation about dodgy “done-in-the-dark deals’ from September 2010 was disingenuous.
“The agreement with the Prime Minister has been a public document since it was signed, unlike Mr Abbott’s written offers to the cross-benchers.
“He’s welcome to publicly release them if he wants to make sure there are no deals left in the dark,” Mr Oakeshott said.
