As the Opposition Leader Tony Abbott addressed the Australian public with his budget speech in reply, Independent Member for New England Tony Windsor was nowhere to be seen.

The Nationals Senator for New South Wales John Williams said people in New England would be disappointed to learn their elected representative did not think the speech by the alternative Prime Minister was important enough to attend.

However, Mr. Windsor was all ears in the House of Representatives when Treasurer Wayne Swan delivered the Labor Government Budget on Tuesday Night.

“Mr. Windsor hung on every word as the Treasurer promoted the mining tax, money for unions, cutbacks in regional Australia and a $40.8 billion deficit, but was absent when Opposition Leader Tony Abbott laid out his plan to get Australia back on the rails.

The Member for New England will have to read in the paper that the Coalition will oppose and in Government rescind the mining tax, spend more on health frontline services, let school communities instead of bureaucrats decide funding priorities, and take the unfair dismissal monkey off the back of small business.

It was a speech that put the Rudd Government on notice that their time was up and Australians have had enough of their wasteful spending. The Member for New England is paid well to take his seat in Parliament on behalf of the people of New England and he should have been there”, Senator Williams said.