When Richard met Eddie

In 1999 George Richard Torbay contested and won the NSW seat of New England as an independent.
In 2013 he intended to stand for Federal Parliament as a National Party candidate.
On the 20th March he suddenly resigned from the NSW Parliament and from the Nats, allegedly because his relationship with Eddie Obeid has been referred to ICAC. He also resigned as UNE Chancellor.
Richard and Eddie Obeid came into contact early in his political career and the Torbay-Obeid connection was so well-known it was raised in parliament over 5 years ago.

The Green Left on the 23rd June 1999:

“On January 19, around 100 protesters constructed four tripods on Timbarra Road. Police panicked at the size of the protest and reacted violently, arresting 12 protesters. In early May, more than 100 protesters blockaded the access road between Tenterfield and the mine site. Ross Mining and its government supporters are moving to clamp down on the campaigners. A delegation of Tenterfield local government leaders, Ross Mining executives and local MP Richard Torbay are to meet with NSW resources minister Eddie Obeid later this month. Torbay threatened: "I support people's right to protest in an orderly manner, but I am concerned that protesters seem intent on disruption, regardless of the merits of the mine. I will be working hard to change the laws to protect companies that are doing the right thing." Ross Mining admits that it plans to use 700 tonnes of cyanide each year to extract gold from the mine. One gram of cyanide is the lethal dose for humans. The mine will also use 75 tonnes of caustic soda and 60 tonnes of hydrochloric acid to extract 50,000 ounces of gold, worth $20 million a year. These chemicals represent a significant environmental threat to the region because the mine is on a highlands, which feed into the Clarence River.”

Part of a Melinda Pavey MLC motion listed in the NSWLC Notice Paper for 27^th February 2007:

“That this House further notes:

(b) the continued close relationship of the Honourable Eddie Obeid as a strategist with the Member for Northern Tablelands, Richard Torbay’s Independent Party,

(c) that the Honourable Eddie Obeid was instrumental in Labor’s decision not to run in the Dubbo by-election last November, deserting the local ALP membership and providing back door support to Richard Torbay's candidate Dawn Fardell,”

Granny Herald on 23rd November 2008:

“He said politics is tougher and crueller than he had anticipated. During one campaign, he says, some Nationals apparatchiks played the race card, suggesting to anyone who'd listen that he was related to unpopular Labor right-wing number cruncher Eddie Obeid, also of Lebanese background. "I had to remind them that there were lots of people from Lebanon I wasn't related to."