Gee, Andrew, best leave Facebook to the experts

Some lessons are never learned. Stuffing up on social media during an election campaign seems to be one of them.

When news broke on Saturday that Nationals-turned-independent MP for Calare Andrew Gee's Facebook account had clumsily attempted to impersonate a constituent, an echo reverberated down the years from May 2019, when Hume MP Angus Taylor was busted in much the same way.

"Fantastic. Great move. Well done Angus," crowed Taylor under his own blue-ticked handle after announcing plans to build a commuter car park in his own electorate. The backlash was instant and merciless.

So it was with disbelief when The Echidna got wind Gee had fallen into the same trap. Taylor's Facebook fail was on day 22 of the 2019 campaign; Gee's was on day one. But at least it wasn't as nakedly self-congratulatory as Taylor's and contained too many words for endless memes.

Responding to a post alleging dirty tactics from the rival Nationals team, Gee's Facebook post read: "Thank you Andrew Gee MP I am new to the area and have received multiple texts from the Nationals and seen nasty ads in the paper from the Teal mob, it has helped me see who is the good guy!"

If Taylor's lapse was the result of campaign fatigue, Gee's was the opposite - over-excitement on the part of a rookie campaign worker with access to the MP's Facebook page. And in the battle for this seat in the central west of NSW, there's plenty to be excited about, not least the fact it's a contest between two independents.

In one corner is Gee, who split from the Nationals when they opposed the Voice to Parliament. In the other is community independent candidate Kate Hook. Hook had a crack at Calare in 2022, attracting a healthy 20.4 per cent of the primary vote which after preferences was 40.3 per cent against Gee's 59.7 per cent. She has the backing of Climate 200 and Simon Holmes a Court.

And in the middle is Nationals candidate Sam Farraway, making Calare anything but a foregone conclusion, which probably explains the campaign worker's eagerness to gild Gee's lily. (The worker has been counselled and is reportedly receiving *cough* support.)

The Nats are out for revenge, blaming Gee's departure from the NSW Legislative Assembly in 2016, where he was member for Orange, for their loss to the Shooters and Fishers Party, whose MP Phil Donato subsequently became an independent as well.

The tone of the campaign, even before the election was called, has been, well, grubby. They have been allegations of posters being ripped down and vandalised and police have been called - and that was back in February.

The dirtiest campaign he's seen, lamented Gee, which after the weekend's self-inflicted Facebook wound, rings even truer, although not in the way the MP would want.

Cleaning up dirt with more dirt is never going to work.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Do you believe anything a politician says on Facebook? Should they stick to traditional media when campaigning? And if they are going to use social media, should they employ campaign workers who know what they're doing? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au

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THEY SAID IT: "Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them." - Bruce Lee

YOU SAID IT: Leaders debates figure heavily in election campaigns. But debates between ministers and their shadows would provide a clearer picture of the relative merits of or misgivings about each side.

"I would love to see a match-up between Angus Taylor and Jim Chalmers," writes Rob.

"Chalmers is by far one of the best performers in the current government. The taunts directed at Taylor at any question time where he raises his head above the parapet are well deserved. For a man of his supposed ability not to land a single blow on the current Treasurer demonstrates his complete ineptitude. Albanese has been a steady but completely uninspiring leader. He verges on the gormless, and it is not hard to see why he fails to resonate with the punters. The strength of his cabinet is obvious and he is very well backed by a number of engaging and clearly competent ministers. Any match-up with the shadow cabinet would be a Labor win. So the Coalition will run a mile away from that."

Lee writes: "I would like to see ministers get attention and not just the PM. They can, of course, all change and end up not elected or not on the frontbench, but we need to know the alternatives and how they operate better. Also because they are local members and those people need to know them better. When our local member took on a high profile role, they totally neglected their constituents, even down to not campaigning in the electorate at one election. Now, in opposition, all he does is criticise the current government for not taking care of his electorate. It helps for him to be in a safe seat. I hope it isn't as safe as he thinks."

"Thank you for your musings on Angus Taylor," writes Denise. "Aside from being hilarious, you are so very right in the point you make that when deciding who to vote for, the team behind the leader is so very important. I think that is the defining difference between Labor and the Coalition. The Labor team as a whole appears so much stronger than that of the Coalition. Light years in fact. You are right about Taylor, his performance on Insiders last week was embarrassing and did anything but inspire confidence in him being the treasurer! I, for one, would like to see debates between all those pollies you mentioned. But I would like to add Katy Gallagher and Jane Hume to your list. Michaelia Cash and Murray Watt on industrial relations would be one for the ages."

Christopher agrees ministers and the shadows should get equal time in the spotlight: "Of course they should. The prime minister is just that - chair of cabinet - and nothing more. Government decisions are cabinet decisions and all are responsible for their tawdry performance. Yet we persist in giving PMs swollen heads by calling governments after them. It is not and never should be the 'Albanese government'."

"Firstly, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Labor voter who usually giggles when I see Angus Taylor squirming in the Parliament," writes Janet. "However that is morphing into something uncomfortable. Taylor is being publicly bullied and it is taking a toll on his mental health. Just watch when the camera shows him squirming around and pretending to write notes while sitting in his seat. It's amusing for Jim Chalmers to be all Keating-esque but maybe not so appropriate in this day and age."

Susan writes: "Completely agree, I quail at the thought of not having Penny Wong as Foreign Minister. The current Labor team is quality in depth, another example of strong leadership, building a strong, competent team."

"Enjoyed the piece on Angus Taylor," writes Ian. "I was concerned, however, that our local, 'parachuted-in' replacement for Scott Morrison is only offering a much smaller handful of lollies compared to Angus Taylor. Cook is obviously a neglected and secure Liberal stronghold. Simon Kennedy highlights his offering as nine new pickleball courts, etc and new female change rooms at the Sharks stadium. My wife replied to him saying she was happy to forgo the lollies for at least one Coalition policy."

Aileen writes: "I think that it should be mandatory for the Treasurer and shadow treasurer to debate. It is the only way we get a true discussion on how our country works for the next three years."

"As voters elect the party and not the leader (who can be disposed of by the party at will) we need to understand the team for whom we are voting," writes Jennifer. "The LNP is at a distinct disadvantage given their lack of depth. When you can't allow your treasurer to give a budget reply because of his incompetence, yet haven't replaced him, it's clear there's a lack of talent in the team, something we've all seen. In contrast, if Albanese promoted his team (instead of himself) Labor would have a better chance given a highly competent team that he currently seems to be undermining. It is the team performance that matters. Albanese should retire or step back, for the sake of the team."

"You're spot on," writes Robert. "While the obvious scary thing is a Dutton victory what's far worse is looking at the 'team' behind him. Let's hope the PM gets his people out in front of the electorate to show how competent they all are."

Henry writes: "Putting Chalmers up against Taylor would be as predictable a result as the Mohammed Ali/Chuck Wepner stoush in '75. Much and all as we'd all love a bit of balance, the Coalition is riven with either slow-thinking dullards or borderline lunatics. Simon Birmingham - one of their sharper lot - saw the writing on the wall and obviously bailed before his brain atrophied. Mind you, Albo - even on a good day - is about as inspiring as reheated cauliflower. And yes, we all love Senator Penny, but why so serious?"

"I believe that the voters should have the opportunity to evaluate the candidates of the key portfolios," writes Wayne. "Let's face it the leaders do not cover all the bases very well, certainly not in the detail required."

Phil from Dunbogan writes: "Thanks for highlighting a problem with Australian politics that has been frustrating me for many years. Our representative democracy depends on a group executive that, as a team, decides on the program that needs to be delivered. It's called the cabinet and its decisions are based on consensus and agreement. Over the last three years, Albanese has been surrounded by mostly competent ministers who can stand on their own two feet and speak to their portfolio confidently and with knowledge. Dutton's team just can't match that level of competence or confidence. Especially Angus Taylor, who as energy minister in the previous government had more energy policies that I have hot dinners. Let's focus on the team and not the man. It's hard for the disengaged to get their head around that concept. Maybe we should be using the sporting team analogy more often to get people to focus on how you compare the two parties."

"Well, that was a funny but accurate assessment of the respective treasurers," writes Rod. "Yes, push Angus into the spotlight. Angus was our previous local member and not much use there either."

Tony writes: "It is men like Angus Taylor who are the reason the community independents are becoming more popular. The Liberal Party should get him speaking more often to prove how unsuitable they are for government."