One Nation NSW leader Mark Latham has accused Mrs Dalton of ‘‘trying to deceive voters in the electorate’’ by doing a deal with Labor leader Michael Daley to support him in the likely event of a hung parliament — in return for receiving Labor preferences.
SFF said it appears the western NSW seat of Murray will be the tipping point that ejects the state government from power, with a late poll placing Mrs Dalton slightly ahead of sitting Nationals MP Austin Evans.
Meaning if she wins on March 23, Mrs Dalton could decide the next premier.
But as for backing the Labor Party, the local candidate claimed Mr Latham was lying, adding she had never met Michael Daley and would ‘‘struggle to recognise him in a police line-up’’.
“I’ve definitely made no deals with anyone. I won’t speak to the major parties until after the election,’’ Mrs Dalton said.
“As a general rule, I’m very suspicious of the Labor Party.
“Federal shadow minister Tony Burke’s plan for the federal government to buy back more water from irrigators would be a disaster for our region.’’
But Mr Latham isn’t buying it.
‘‘Dalton is set to become the Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott of NSW politics: representing a very conservative seat yet backing the Labor Party into government,’’ he said.
‘‘In The Australian newspaper on Friday, the Shooters all but declared victory in Murray, leaking that their internal polling shows the primary vote of the Shooters in (Murray) is in the high 20s and the Nationals in the low 30s.
‘‘With Labor preferences expected to go straight to the Shooters, they expect to win.’’
Murray One Nation candidate Tom Weyrich said he was independent of the Labor Party.
‘‘I will never support a Labor Government wanting to legislate for a zero carbon NSW economy,’’ he said.
SFF leader Robert Borsak dismissed Mr Latham’s claims and said his party will be looking to leverage the balance of power to change policy, not form coalitions with the major parties.
“We want to pause the Murray Darling Basin Plan, strengthen the right to farm and divert wasteful spending in Sydney to the bush,’’ he said.
“We will support motions in Parliament that achieve these goals, and vote against ones that do not. It’s as simple as that.’’
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