With the death blow to her opposition leadership, Sussan Ley is taking her bat and ball and going home. The tenure of Ms Ley has been marred by Farrer communities being devastated by the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, a plan that her party was the ultimate architect of. As the Basin Plan continues to erode the nation’s food security with endless water buybacks, and perverse social, economic and environmental outcomes, potential Farrer by-election candidates are taking aim at the hot topic.

At a candidate meeting on Monday at Gerogery, near Albury, One Nation, demonstrated the momentum reflected in the national polls. An estimated 200 people gathered at the pub, which had opened specially for the event. Sources revealed that One Nation has received 75 nominations from prospective candidates.

Main challenger to Ley’s last campaign win, Independent Michelle Milthorpe was quick to signal her return to the campaign trail. Milthorpe received significant funding in her initial campaign with $178,000 from Climate 200, and $30,000 from the Regional Voices Fund. The Regional Voices Fund announced on Wednesday that it would provide $60,000 to kick-start the bi-election campaign for Milthorpe.

In speaking with the [The Koondrook and Barham] Bridge, Milthorpe said she welcomed their support.

“These crowdfunded organisations allow many people to contribute small amounts for a big impact, which is particularly important when people are doing it tough.”

“At the last election, I welcomed the crowdfunded support of Climate 200’s 33,000 donors, including people from Farrer and across the country, and I would welcome that support again. It helped level the playing field against major parties backed by large donations from mining companies, lobby groups, the financial sector and gambling interests.”

When asked what would be the key three issues for the campaign Milthorpe said water was the major one.

“First and foremost is water. As we head into a dry winter, the mismanagement of water and the failures already identified in the Murray–Darling Basin Plan review, continue to have real economic and social consequences for communities across Farrer.”

“Second is healthcare. Access to GPs, aged care, mental health and allied health services remains inequitable, and the challenge of attracting and retaining staff is placing ongoing pressure on families and communities.”

“The third critical issue is childcare and early learning. Many families are unable to access childcare before school, which has a direct flow-on effect: parents can’t work, essential roles go unfilled, people are forced to leave small towns, and opportunities for early intervention for children are missed.”

When it came to a Royal Commission into the Basin Plan, Milthorpe said she would support it.

David Landini of the Riverina State Party has been feverishly gathering members to register the Party with the AEC. He announced this week that AEC staff have informed him that membership testing has been completed successfully, but the timeframe for completing the application exclude the party from the Farrer bi-election. In a statement Mr Landini said “I think there is no benefit for State formation in standing candidates without being registered and having The Riverina State printed on all the voting ballots. Next time!”

No news yet from the Libs and Nats, or Labor on who will be their valiant contenders for the top job.

While water is the horse that has already bolted, many hope that “renewables” also rate a mention. This week’s shock announcement that Transgrid applied to pass on to consumers the $1.1 billion of their cost over-runs in the 900-kilometre Energy-Connect project between NSW and South Australia. VNI-West, too, has huge cost blowouts, originally estimated at $3.6 billion but likely to exceed $7.6 billion! That’s without even considering the huge cost of the renewable energy zone’s internal transmission lines. And who pays? You do. You subsidise the solar and wind projects with profits often going offshore, and you are also on the hook for a non-federal-budget blank check for transmission lines. If you thought the last 12 months of power price increases were rough, saddle up, folks, it’s about to get bumpy.

I implore you to pay close attention in deciding who you vote for, cause it’s our kids who will pick up the tab.

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 19 February 2026.