Farrer in the spotlight: ... but Labor noted as missing in action

As moderator of Tuesday’s night’s Meet the Candidates forum in Deniliquin, Harold Clapham admonished the sitting Labor Federal Government for failing to field a candidate.

“I congratulate the candidates for putting yourselves forward,” Mr Clapham said.

“You are participating in the most important part of our democracy; the willingness to stand and represent your community is the very essence of our democracy.

“You should all be commended, and I wish each of you the best of luck.

“However, the most notable candidate tonight is, in fact, the absent one - that being a representative of the Australian Labor Party.

“They (the candidates here) are realistic about their prospects, yet they choose to stand.

“They use the most transparent of processes as a platform to inform the community of their wishes, their aspirations and their vision of the country.

“By contrast, the absence of the current government from the contest sends a very clear message.

“It suggests that the electorate and the issues unique to Farrer are not worthy of their engagement.

“For context of this significance, to be absent reflects poorly on their commitment to this community.”

Seven of the 12 candidates for Farrer took part in the forum, and were put through their paces with questions on water, healthcare, renewable energy, funding shortfalls for local councils, and rising costs for agriculture and households.

Each impressed the strong crowd of more than 200 Farrer constituents with their varied but valuable responses.

The evening was hosted by the NSW Farmers Association in collaboration with the Deniliquin Pastoral Times and Southern Riverina News, with support from Edward River Council and the Deniliquin RSL Club.

NSW Farmers executive member and Deniliquin branch chair Amanda Barlow said it was a respectful and insightful exchange of opinions and ideas.

“We were very happy, and the candidates were all very happy,” Mrs Barlow said.

“Everyone thought it was well organised, and there was a great ambiance between candidates and with the crowd.

“It is an open field at the moment, and everyone performed strongly (at the forum), so it will be interesting to see where the votes land.”

In attendance at the forum were (in ballot order) Liberals candidate Raissa Butkowski, Independent Michelle Milthorpe, Jamie Bonnefin from Gerard Rennick People First, The Nationals candidate Brad Robertson, David Farley from One Nation, Lucas Ellis from the Sustainable Australia Party and Independent Gary Pappin.

Unable to attend were Aimee Pearson from the Legalise Cannabis Party, Richard Hendrie from The Greens, Independent Roger Woodward, Rebecca Scriven from Family First and Shooters, Fisher and Farmers candidate Peter Sinclair.

Each attending candidate was given five minutes to introduce themselves and their main policy platforms, with water, healthcare and affordable housing all highlighted.

Candidates then took turns answering 10 questions curated by a NSW Farmers panel, based on questions submitted by local voters.

Mrs Barlow said the main takeaway for the NSW Farmers members was a willingness from all candidates to work with Farrer communities on community priorities canvassing a variety of industries and needs.

“The responses showed the candidates thought about our issues, and we’re confident that any one of the candidates in attendance would be open to local input if they were to become our local member,” she said.

“It has been a very busy week for them - with the Griffith forum on Monday night, ours Tuesday, the Albury forum on Wednesday night, and other meetings in between - and we thank them for making the time to come to Deniliquin.”

On one of the key advocacy areas for the NSW Farmers Association - water policy and support for a Royal Commission into the Murray Darling-Basin Plan - Mrs Barlow said the responses from attending candidates was mixed but mostly positive.

“Most were against buybacks, which was positive for us, but there were mixed views on supporting a Royal Commission - which is one of the NSW Farmers’ policies.

“We certainly take the comments of Brad (Robertson) and Raissa (Butkowski) on board that a Royal Commission might be expensive, stacked by the government of the day and take a long time, but it is one of our policies so that’s not all cut and dry just yet.

“We know that it can be hard to achieve positive change.”