Matt Canavan Blames Nationals Costume Department After He Turns Up At Griffith Town Hall Dressed Like Interwar Italian Farmer

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact

Nationals leader Matt Canavan woke up in a brand new Kings swag this morning, under a white box tree, in Griffith.

He's there to spread the good word of the party, which is battling their effeminate city cousins in the Liberals and their free thinking nephews in One Nation, for the seat of Farrer, which was largely and rightly abandoned by former Opposition leader Sussan Ley after the party didn't even give her a go against Diet Kim Beazley.

Today, Canavan was expected to wear the cultural dress of the well-heeled Riverina grazier. Pragmatic footwear, blue jeans and some sort of branded, half-button work shirt with a baseball-style cap from a agricultural chemical manufacturer or a local agronomist service.

Instead, the Nationals costume department got their wires crossed.

"You wouldn't believe it," Canavan told our reporter.

"They've sent me traditional Italian farmer dress. And not, it's not tennis shoes, shorts and no shirt. It's proper Italian."

In recent weeks, Canavan has been spotted all over the Riverina in different costumes. Just a few days ago, the proud Gold Coastanese man was seen in Finley, wearing a beanie, flanno and black jeans from Lee, which was interpreted as a nod to Spiderbait, the town's greatest musical export.

In Wagga, Canavan donned a fat suit in an effort to blend in with locals, as many of the rural city's denizens are quite rotund. He enjoyed a pub lunch at the Sporties, a double Hawaiian parmigiana, washed down with a schooner of full-power Pepsi and a schooner of Carlton Dry.

And in Wentworth, in far western NSW, Canavan was run out of town after locals took offence to him sitting in the lap of the John Egge statue and kissing it passionately on the lips. He also made disparaging remarks about the PS Ruby.

In Albury, Canavan wore a traditional hooded jumper and Fox Racing flat cap. Ripped jeans and a pukka shell necklace. However, while received well by locals, the gaffe-prone Canavan offended some locals by making crude remarks about their cross-river cousisn in Wodonga, referring to them as "fat" and "ugly people" with "mental problems". Canavan later apologised for the remarks.

The Advocate reached out to the Nationals Costume Department for comment but have yet to receive a reply.

More to come.