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June 16th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda 
Labor MP Richard Torbay, Speaker of the NSW Legislative Assembly, during Question Time in State Parliament House in Sydney. Picture: Brad Hunter
Source: The Daily Telegraph
Tony Windsor. Picture: Scott Simon
Source: The Daily Telegraph
of 2
THE Nationals’ star recruit to challenge federal independent Tony Windsor tried to cut a secret deal to become Labor Premier in 2009.
State MP Richard Torbay offered to rejoin the NSW ALP and challenge embattled premier Nathan Rees the following day, says Labor general secretary Sam Dastyari, who rejected the deal outright.
Mr Torbay, an independent MP in NSW parliament for 13 years, allegedly pulled $200 from his wallet as membership dues in his bid to rejoin the party he dumped in 1998.
The Northern Tablelands MP was Armidale’s Labor mayor prior to running as an independent MP in 1999 – with Mr Windsor’s backing.
“He pledged to immediately rejoin the party if I could guarantee he would have the numbers to become premier the next day,” Mr Dastyari told The Sunday Telegraph.
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A day after the alleged meeting, Labor powerbrokers instead installed Kristina Keneally as NSW premier.
Mr Torbay last night said the claim was a “complete fabrication”, but he admitted powerbroker John Della Bosca had asked him to join Labor.
Mr Torbay said there was never a discussion with Mr Dastyari about becoming premier as Labor imploded on December 2, 2009.
“That is completely a lie,” he said.
“He wasn’t even a general secretary at the time. John Della Bosca asked me to join Labor and I said no. This is a straight misrepresentation.”
Mr Dastyari, who was assistant general secretary and the party’s point of contact with Mr Torbay at the time, said yesterday: “The night before Kristina Keneally became Labor Party leader, Torbay called me into his Speaker’s office and said he would rejoin the Labor Party if he would be made premier the next day.”
“In a bid of desperation, he offered to join that night, even pulling out of his wallet the $200 in cash he would need for membership fees.
“It is probably now convenient for Richard to forget that night,” Mr Dastyari said.
The claims expose for the first time the extent of deals being cut between party figures as Labor staggered to its knees in its final term.
On December 3, 2009 the Labor caucus met to elect Ms Keneally. She was sworn in the following day, December 4.
Powerbrokers John Della Bosca, Ian Macdonald and Joe Tripodi were desperate to replace Mr Rees after months of plunging poll numbers.
Before the night of December 2, Mr Macdonald was canvassing business and media leaders in Sydney to seek opinion on Torbay as premier.
The belief was Mr Torbay could break the impasse between Labor and angry voters.
Labor minister Frank Sartor was keen to challenge, but lacked cross-factional support, while plotters were unsure about Ms Keneally.
Senior Labor sources said Mr Della Bosca, with his own leadership ambitions thwarted by a series of public scandals, and Labor factional warlord Eddie Obeid, canvassed the premiership with Mr Torbay.
Mr Macdonald, dumped as a minister by Mr Rees, wanted to rejoin Cabinet.
Mr Dastyari said Mr Torbay called him around 5pm on December 2 seeking talks.
The discussions denigrated into a “blue”. “I told him it wouldn’t and couldn’t happen, that it was too late and the party wouldn’t wear it,” Mr Dastyari revealed.
The Daily Telegraph quoted Mr Torbay on November 25, 2009, saying he had been “approached informally” about joining the Labor Party. On November 29, 2009, The Sunday Telegraph revealed the involvement of Mr Macdonald, Mr Della Bosca and Mr Tripodi in Mr Torbay’s push.
Mr Rees said: “If true, it’s disappointing. Clearly he’s happy to be a wholly-owned subsidiary of any political party that is prepared to benefit him personally.
“It’s political expedience at its most tawdry.”
Mr Torbay will seek preselection in early 2013 as Nat- ionals candidate for New England, a seat the party is desperate to reclaim from Mr Windsor.
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