The Riverina State Group has passed the 800-member mark on its way to enrolling 1,500 members and being registered as a political party in time for the next federal election.

The group intends to stand candidates in Farrer, Riverina and Eden-Monaro in NSW, and Mallee, Nicholls and possibly Indi in Victoria. 

As a registered party, the name The Riverina State will be printed alongside party candidates’ names on each of the approximately 100,000 voting ballots in each electorate. This could be up to a total of 600,000 ballots in the six electorates where the Group intends to stand candidates. 

According to Riverina State Group President, David Landini, having the name The Riverina State printed beside the party candidate’s name on each ballot will provide an unrivalled public statement of the intention to form this state.

“While having candidates elected to Parliament is ideal, the support for state formation expressed by people with their vote will also greatly aid state formation,” Mr Landini said.

“The number of votes in this and future elections will be certified by the relevant electoral commissions and will eventually be used to justify a referendum on state formation.” 

Mr Landini is confident this referendum will succeed. This successful referendum will then be used in the NSW, Victorian and Federal Parliaments to justify state formation.

Mr Landini believes that both NSW and Victoria are dominated by their capital city populations, and that much of the legislation and governance formed and enacted by these populations is very detrimental to the livelihoods of the people in other areas.

He quoted the irrigation water debacle, the suppression of the timber industry, and the blighting of both the landscape and agricultural production with so called renewable electricity infrastructure as examples. “They feel good, and we lose our jobs,” he said.    

The proposed Riverina State includes the irrigation areas of northern Victoria. 

“There has always been interest and support for state formation in northern Victoria

“Economies, livelihoods and culture of the people on both sides of the Murray River have always been the same. Country Victorians are being shafted just as badly as the people in the Riverina, but just by a different state.”

Mr Landini said the proposed state includes the NSW Riverina and northern Victoria. The final boundary will depend on popular support.   

Mr Landini added that natural resource-based industries such as agriculture and timber are not only the basis of the livelihoods of many people in these areas, the food, fibre, and building and heating materials produced are fundamental to human life.

“Any deliberate act reducing the production of these is not only a threat to our livelihoods, but also potentially to the lives of many people, both Australian and overseas. These acts should be recognised and treated as such.    

“Politics has a real effect on our lives. Regrettably, history has shown that it doesn’t matter what the people in these areas say or do, or even elect to Parliament, the disastrous governance by our isolated capital city populations continues.

“We need to remove ourselves from this governance, and we can only do this by forming a Riverina State.” 

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 22 February 2024.