The unceremonious dumping of Sussan Ley as leader of the Liberal Party is about to lead to an interesting by-election in her old seat of Farrer. As Sussan leaves politics to enjoy her parliamentary pension, what happens in this traditionally stodgy seat is likely to provide some real-time pointers on where conservative Australia is heading.
Just north of the Victorian border, Farrer includes population centres like Albury, Deniliquin and Leeton, as well as much of the Riverina. The electorate is named for the famed agricultural pioneer William Farrer, who worked out how to stop rust and other diseases from destroying Australian wheat.
This was train enthusiast and one-time National Party leader Tim Fischer’s old seat, with the Liberal and National Parties agreeing not to challenge each other here in recent years. Sussan Ley has been in residence on mostly dwindling margins since 2001. Her lead was halved to just over 6 per cent in last year’s election.
The Labor government’s massive majority in the House of Representatives means whatever happens here is irrelevant, in one sense, while also being highly meaningful symbolically.
Who’s running in Farrer?
This time there will be cashed-up candidates from (at least) the Liberal, National and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation parties, with Labor likely to sit this one out, and the progressive flag to be carried by popular community independent Michelle Milthorpe, whose symbol is an orange emu but whose politics can best be described as teal.
Following in the footsteps of Cathy McGowan and Helen Haines in neighbouring Indi, Ms Milthorpe’s previous community-driven campaign was backed by Climate 200 and the Regional Voices fund. She says her focus is on cost-of-living pressures, access to healthcare, aged care services, reliable telecommunications, water management, and sustainable environmental practices.
With a background in education and legal reform (particularly supporting child sexual assault survivors across NSW) Ms Milthorpe says she’s passionate about pursuing real equity for regional Australians. She understands the science of climate change, and the particular risks it brings to electorates like hers.
‘We feel the burden of floods, fires and droughts first – and hardest,’ she said recently. ‘We live with the consequences of water mismanagement and infrastructure neglect.’
On the subject of energy she has said, ‘What our region needs is real consultation, a fair and practical transition, grid stability, renewable energy benefits that flow to communities, support for local manufacturing, and no new fossil fuel projects that ignore long term realities.
‘I will welcome support from anyone who wants a strong independent voice for Farrer and I will answer only to the people of this electorate.’
Fighting words, which put Michelle Milthorpe in stark contrast to her Lib/Nat/ONP opponents, who will seek to make this contest about demonising immigrants, spruiking nuclear power, fighting with one another and attacking Labor.
Bellwether?
This by-election will be the first major electoral test of new Liberal leader Angus Taylor, once described by Malcolm Turnbull as the party’s ‘most qualified idiot’. Can Taylor surprise his critics here, or will the Nationals show their Coalition partners who’s boss and bring Farrer back into the fold?
Pauline Hanson and her backers are yet to announce their candidate, but will also be spending big bucks in Farrer, which will reveal whether their current polling wave amounts to more than a mirage. Hopefully voters wishing to protest against the behaviour of the major parties can distinguish between the two slightly different shades of orange on offer.
With street protests steadily being outlawed across the nation, will the people of Farrer speak at the ballot box by voting for their own interests, as revealed by the community consultation process and represented by their own independent candidate, or continue to fall for the nonsense being propagated by billionaires’ mouthpieces in the form of ‘conservative’ parties which conserve nothing but their own power?
The rest of Australia will be watching to see whether the rust stops in Farrer, or gains a foothold here, before spreading.
Originally from Canberra, David Lowe is an award-winning filmmaker, writer and photographer with particular interests in the environment and politics. He’s known for his campaigning work with Cloudcatcher Media.
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