MLC Wes Fang (right) said he was ready to move past his rivalry with former NSW Liberals leader Mark Speakman now that he had stepped down from the helm. Photo: Supplied.
Member of the Legislative Council Wes Fang said he was ready to end his feud with the former NSW Liberals leader he hounded until he resigned.
The Wagga politician made headlines recently when he said the Coalition “need to knife” Mark Speakman and that he was happy to do it himself. Prophetically, the Cronulla MP stood down as Liberal leader the following day.
“He and I have had our differences, and they’re well publicised, but I think once somebody leaves a position, there’s no point in rehashing any old arguments,” Mr Fang said.
“Mark has been a very strong and dedicated member of his community and very community-minded throughout his whole career.
“Whilst we’ve had our differences, I can certainly acknowledge his heart has been in the right place, but I don’t believe in attacking somebody when it’s not warranted.”
The pair has clashed several times over the past two years, including in July 2024 when Mr Fang blasted the Liberals leader on social media for visiting Wagga without telling him.
With the hatchet now buried, Mr Fang said he was excited to work with the new Liberals leader, Member for Vaucluse Kellie Sloane.
“I am genuinely excited that Kellie Sloane has taken the Liberal leadership and is now the Leader of the Opposition,” he said.
“I had a chance to work with her through a number of portfolios, particularly the environment portfolio and also the health portfolios, through the Budget Estimates process.
“I think that she’s going to be a very fine leader. She’s obviously in her first term in Parliament, but people would be unwise to judge her purely on that.
“She brings a level of tenacity and intelligence that will allow her to demonstrate why the Liberal Party has put faith in her to lead them towards the next election.
“I think that with Gurmesh [Singh] taking over for the Nationals as well, we’ve got a refreshed leadership team and they are going to be a very complementary and very powerful team to take the fight up to Minns and Labor.”
Mr Fang said the new leadership for both parties offered a fresh start for the Coalition and would help it move strongly towards the 2027 NSW election.
“I think ultimately, we can show the rural and regional communities for the Nationals, and we can show the metropolitan areas for the Liberals, that, as a Coalition, we are stronger together, we are an alternative government, and we are ready to go,” he said.
“We now have that fresh start. We’ve drawn that line in the sand and now, with everything that’s happened previously, whilst we don’t disregard it, we can approach it now with a clean sheet.”
