Fed: Boswell should "retire gracefully"

AAP General News (Australia)
12-19-2005
Fed: Boswell should "retire gracefully"

By Rob Pash

CANBERRA, Dec 19 AAP - Veteran Nationals Senate leader Ron Boswell is facing calls
from within his own party to quit politics and make way for a new generation of senators.

Senator Boswell, who turned 65 this month, announced at the weekend he would seek another
six-year term at the next federal election, due in 2007.

Preselection closes at the end of February, with the Nationals' central council due
to decide on who will head the party's senate ticket by the middle of next year.

But the party's deputy leader in Queensland, Jeff Seeney, today said it was time for
Senator Boswell to go.

"I personally would have been very pleased to see Ron retire gracefully," he told ABC radio.

"And I think a very significant number of people in the National party would like to
have seen Ron acknowledge that he had a long career and to retire gracefully at this point
and allow the next generation of senators to take their place."

Mr Seeney said there had been a change in the Nationals, inspired by Queensland Senator
Barnaby Joyce's defiance of the Liberal Party by voting against the government's voluntary
student unionism (VSU) legislation and its trade practices law reforms.

"I think there's very strong support for the new style of senator that Barnaby Joyce
has displayed in Canberra," he said.

"We've always had to go out and negotiate with what is a poor compromise for us, and
a poor compromise that's forced upon us by the Liberal Party in many instances."

There is believed to be widespread concern in the Queensland Nationals about what many
in the party see as Senator Joyce's shabby treatment in Canberra.

Senator Boswell publicly criticised Senator Joyce's vote against VSU as populist earlier
this month.

While Senator Joyce hit back and branded the criticism as an unnecessarily personal
attack, today he refused to predict Senator Boswell's future.

"It will be a Melbourne Cup field of good candidates because of the profile of the
National party senate position," Senator Joyce told AAP.

"I just hope that people just accept the outcome and move on."

He would not say whether he thought Senator Boswell would have the numbers to win.

"You never know," he said.

"There's never ever a vote in the bag. As soon as you think that, you've just come second."

While steering clear of a direct attack on his colleague, Senator Joyce offered only
limited praise of Senator Boswell, saying he had been an effective advocate for Queensland
"at times".

Senator Joyce's friend, former journalist and senior Nationals staffer James Baker,
has also nominated for the senate ticket and is expected to be a frontrunner.

But Senator Joyce said reports of his "raving endorsement" of Mr Baker had been exaggerated
and the best candidate would win preselection.

Federal Nationals MP Bruce Scott, who is also the party's Queensland president, refused
to buy into the debate about Senator Boswell's future.

"It's just not appropriate for me as president to be becoming a political commentator
on this issue," he told AAP.

"Everyone has the right to nominate for a position on the National party ticket."

Ron Boswell was first elected to the Senate in 1983 and has been the Nationals' senate
leader since 1990.

He could not be contacted for comment today.

AAP rp/bt/mon/de

KEYWORD: NATIONALS

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