There are two articles of faith you will commonly hear in New England on the NSW Northern Tablelands. One is fealty to the National Party, the other is affection for federal MP Barnaby Joyce.

Just as he has on the national stage, Joyce has a big presence in Tamworth, the town where he was born and which remains the largest centre of the seat he has represented since 2013.

With Joyce announcing on October 18 that he would not run again for the Nationals – and suggesting that he might jump ship to One Nation because of a personality clash with leader David Littleproud and antipathy towards net zero – the voters of New England might soon have to make an uncomfortable choice. Those who spoke with this masthead as the story played out from Canberra voiced little surprise that their MP was o

See Full Page