PAUL Toole will not publicly admit it, of course, but there is no doubt he is quite happy to distance himself from his party wherever possible during this current election campaign.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
And, really, who could blame him?
In terms of brand, "Paul Toole" is doing much better than "the Nationals" at this stage, and has continued to do so for the past four years despite a number of missteps by the Coalition Government.
Mr Toole was the minister put in charge of the implementing the council amalgamations policy that went down like a lead balloon across much of the state and, following the government's backflip on a greyhound racing ban, Mr Toole became the minister charged with winning back so many of those lost friendships.
Both were jobs that most MPs would run a mile from but Mr Toole has tackled both with gusto and managed to retain a high personal popularity throughout.
At the same time he has continued to deliver new services and infrastructure for the towns and villages across his electorate, shoring up those important local votes.
So when his election campaign posters went up and his new campaign office was opened, it was glaring to see just how little prominence was given to the Nationals branding.
It's really blink and you miss it stuff.
Meanwhile, even though deputy premier and Nationals leader John Barilaro has been making regular trips to the Central West, he has not been sighted in Bathurst in recent weeks. And when Mr Toole has called regular press conferences in recent months to make more funding announcements, he generally faces the cameras alone without a Nationals or Liberal colleague by his side.
Again, Mr Toole denies it's a tactic and he says Mr Barilaro has two Bathurst visits planned in the next fortnight, but there seems to no real reason for the Nationals to change tack now.
During an election campaign where the Nationals are in a tight contest for nearly every seat they hold, party powerbrokers must really welcome an electorate that is not demanding too much of the party's time, resources and personnel.
Every dollar not spent in Bathurst and every time an MP does not have to travel to Bathurst is a chance to focus on a more marginal seat.
Other Nationals must be studying what Paul Toole is doing in Bathurst and desperately trying to replicate it for themselves.
