Member for Riverina Michael McCormack tears up a petition penned by the Labor Party, dismissing it as ‘election paraphernalia.’ Photo: Michael McCormack Facebook.
Correction: This article initially stated independent candidate Jenny Rolfe was the leader of the minor party Together for Riverina. While Together for Riverina is a grassroots movement and endorsed Jenny, they’re not a party nor are aligned.
Member for Riverina Michael McCormack has posted a video of himself on social media tearing up a petition that called on people to support the Labor Party’s efforts to save Rex airlines.
The former deputy prime minister blasted Labor for allegedly using the survey as a means to recruit volunteers for the upcoming election.
Rex went into voluntary administration in July 2024, putting the long-term future of flights to regional towns such as Wagga and Griffith in doubt.
Since then, the major parties have fought over whether and how the government should support the embattled airline.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has suggested the government may have to buy out the carrier, while Nationals leader David Littleproud has criticised the amount of taxpayer support given to Rex. Mr McCormack has said government should do whatever it takes to save the airline.
In a Facebook video on his reaction to the 2025/26 Federal Budget, the longstanding Riverina MP brought viewers’ attention to the Labor Party’s Rex petition before ripping it up live on air.
“I note that there’s a petition being circulated around the Riverina and Farrer electorate, which has some interesting photographs,” he said while showing the petition to the camera.
“This is the actual petition right here. Question one, ‘What is your first name?’ Question two, ‘What is your last name?’ Just the usual things you should put on a survey, not a petition.
“But question seven is the most alarming: ‘Do you wish to be contacted about volunteering opportunities for the upcoming federal election?’ and under it the logo of Rex, which I think is very distasteful.
“Be warned, this isn’t about getting support to continue, as the Treasurer talks about flights for the bush; this is about getting signatures so that Labor can then bombard your emails and your mobile phones and your mailboxes with their paraphernalia.
“There they … they’re using Rex. They’re using this survey to talk about saving Rex and protecting regional Australia from the LNP.”
Mr McCormack would proceed to tear up the petition before simply stating, “That’s what that is worth.”
Labor’s candidate for the seat of the Riverina, Mark Jeffreson, fired back at the former deputy prime minister’s actions.
“Mr McCormack has lost the plot. The choice to rip up, on a Facebook livestream, a petition that so many of his community have supported smacks of desperation from a man without the power to stand up for the Riverina in the LNP party room,” he said.
“If Mr McCormack cared so much about Rex, he’d try to convince his leaders Mr Littleproud and Mr Dutton to back Rex and save it from their impending cuts. He won’t. And it’s time to back me in parliament. I will fight for the Riverina.”
Fellow candidate for the Riverina and independent Jenny Rolfe gave her two cents on the issue, stating that petitions should be free from political advertising.
“We’re part of the democratic process, and we should all have respect for the democratic process that includes petitions, whether we agree with the issue or not,” she said.
“However, any kind of petition should stand alone and be free of any leaning. If people are passionate about things, then they should be able to be a part of something without trying to be recruited.
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