Donato Elected for Orange

Philip Donato (Shooters Fishers & Farmers Party) has been confirmed as elected to the State seat of Orange.

In a statement Nationals candidate Scott Barrett said:

I have today met with Philip Donato, to offer him my congratulations on being elected as the Member for Orange, and to formally concede.

I thanked him for the upstanding and respectful way in which he conducted himself during this by-election campaign.

A clear message was sent from the people of the Central West at this by-election, and it’s a message that must be heeded.

The Nationals are still the only party that can truly represent regional NSW, but we clearly need to re-engage with the people of Orange, better communicate what we have delivered, and work to regain the trust of our constituents.

The Nationals must remain focused on improving lives of the people who live in the great communities of regional NSW.

I am confident that I fought to do that during this campaign.

I secured a significant number of commitments from the NSW Government, including additional parking at the Orange Health Service, funding for the Parkes Airport, greater investment into the Molong MPS, money to further investigate improvements to the Newell Highway between Parkes and Forbes and emergency funding for all local councils to assist in remedying the damage done to our local roads during an unseasonably wet winter.

With The Nationals in Government, I will continue to fight for these commitments and ensure they will be honoured.

The reasons that I stood at this by-election have not changed – I love this region and it will always be my home. I will continue to work to make it a better place.