CATHY McGowan won’t yet confirm if she will stand for re-election in Indi, staving off heavy criticism this week from the Liberals in the wake of the federal budget.

Local Liberals accused the independent MP of taking undue credit for North East projects, while Immigration Minister Peter Dutton singled her out for voting against the government on border protection.

It followed confirmation former Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella would contest preselection for Indi in a bid to win back the seat she unexpectedly lost in 2013.

Yesterday Ms McGowan maintained she was unfazed, refusing to comment on any potential contest with Mrs Mirabella and dismissing her critics as “playing the man”.

“That’s the way this whole business (politics) has traditionally been done, but that’s why I got elected — people are over that, they don’t like it, they want to focus on policy,” she said.

“I’ll make a decision about (re-election) sooner rather than later but at the moment I’m absolutely concentrating on what I’m doing now.

“My sense is I still have another 18 months and there’s a hell of a lot of water to go under the bridge before then.”

The Liberals for Indi branch this week released a statement questioning Ms McGowan’s record of achievement including her claiming credit for the NBN rollout in Indi, the $350 million defence contract with Thales Munitions in Mulwala and Benalla, and helping workers made redundant at Bruck Textiles to receive their entitlements.

Online commentary has also criticised Ms McGowan as taking credit for this week’s funding windfall for Indi, including $10 million for the Wodonga CBD.

“All of these were delivered by the Abbott Government, which puts rural and regional Australia at the heart of every decision it makes,” the statement read.

“Perhaps (she) could explain to Wangaratta residents why she supported a private member’s bill designed to reverse the Government’s successful border protection policies?”

The same day, Mr Dutton released a statement critical of Ms McGowan voting against the government’s bill that gives guards more power over asylum seekers in detention centres, saying she was the “only independent supporting the Greens’ Adam Bandt”.

Hansard shows that Andrew Wilkie also voted against the bill, as did all Labor members.

Ms McGowan said she was “surprised that in this ministry he (Mr Dutton) would have time to do that”.

She had voted against the government on every piece of asylum seeker-related legislation since her election.

“Aside from mobile phone coverage, it’s the biggest issue I get consulted on when I’m out and about,” she said.

Ms McGowan said she did not claim credit for the projects or funding received, but had supported them.

“Any benefits that come here are because a whole lot of people get involved — the Wodonga funding for example is hugely because of the work of the council,” she said.

“My job is to tell people the money is coming through and where it comes from, and as much as I can always be an advocate.

“Other projects (like Bruck, Thales) are where I’ve gone in to bat and meet ministers on behalf of people, so I can say I was involved, but they were much bigger than just me.

“There seems to be this argument that who gets credit matters but I don’t think it does — if Indi gets attention, it means we’ve been putting pressure on the major parties to pay attention.”