By GARY FRY
ARMIDALE based Independent candidate for New England, Rob Taber, was unperturbed by the expectedly comfortable victory of the Nationals’ Barnaby Joyce.
Mr Taber achieved the second highest number of votes in the New England electorate, with another seven candidates, including Country Labor and another Independent splitting the non-Nationals vote.
Barnaby Joyce secured 54.1 percent of the vote, while Rob Taber got 14.26 perecent and Country Labor’s Stephen Hewitt received 11.72 percent.
Mr Taber and his family voted at their neighbourhood booth in the locality of Dangersleigh. It was a tranquil, rural escape from the hectic pace required to visit as many polling places as they could through the election day.
Mr Taber was joined by family, friends and supporters at Armidale’s Squires Cottage is his post-campaign function. They watched the numbers come in and mindful that they had only run a three-week campaign (motivated by Tony Windsor’s retirement announcement), they were encouraged, not disappointed by the result.
“I feel quite satisfied. We achieved a lot in three weeks. We got over 14 percent and there is a group of people who want to work to expand on that,” Mr Taber said.
“There is a feeling that party politics is failing us badly. The Independent movement is alive and strong.
“I have an amazing group of supporters now and together, we can do great things here in New England.”
