The Farrer by-election is offering a rare opportunity to re-shape this region’s future, and plans are afoot to ensure you’re armed with information you need to make the most of it.
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The Deniliquin Pastoral Times and Southern Riverina News have partnered with the NSW Farmers Association to deliver a candidate forum next month.
The event will be held in Deniliquin on April 21, and will be supported by Edward River Council.
It is likely to be one of few such forums outside key voting areas like Albury and Griffith.
The eight known candidates for Farrer to date have all been invited by the NSW Farmers to attend.
Others will be invited as they come to light before nominations close on April 13.
NSW Farmers executive committee member and Deniliquin branch president Amanda Barlow said as the Farrer result will be a “barometer for New South Wales, and the nation”, being informed this election is as important as ever.
“This is an opportunity to see where the candidates stand on important issues that will shape New South Wales and Australia generally, and important on issues like water and the current fuel crisis,” Mrs Barlow said.
“What a lot of people don’t realise is that is the agriculture sector is displaced by a lack of water and fuel, this leads to a dire situation nationally in terms of food and fibre security.
“When it comes to water, we (NSW Farmers) are tired of buybacks and the focus on environment.
“With a pending Basin Plan review, this is a good opportunity for candidates to share their thoughts with us on this moving forward.
“There’s also growing concerns that Australia is not self sufficient, as is being showcased by what we’re seeing at the fuel pump.
“COVID-19 exposed problems in the supply chain and nothing was done, and this now leaves us very exposed.
“Livestock farmers and croppers, in particular, are reliant on fuel to deliver food and fibre security.”
Mrs Barlow said partnering with the Pastoral Times and Southern Riverina News to facilitate the forum ensures input beyond the NSW Farmers’ existing networks is encouraged and included.
She and Pastoral Times/SRN general manager Nigel Lutton said questions put to the candidates would be guided by submissions received from voters.
“The Farrer by-election is fundamentally important to our local communities and the Deniliquin Pastoral Times and Southern Riverina News are pleased to be able to support the NSW Farmers Association in hosting this 'Meet The Candidates' event,” Mr Lutton said.
“Events like this should be applauded as real-life examples of democracy in action.
“As impartial third party organisations that are governed by the media code of conduct, and take pride in our impartiality, we are only too happy to be of service support this initiative.
“As has been pointed out in the A Fair Go For Farrer column - paid for by community members and printed weekly in regional newspapers - our local communities cannot afford another two years of posturing and hyperbole.
“I would encourage as many people as possible to RSVP, submit their questions and attend on April 21, and seek to better understand how committed the candidates are to what matters most for our towns and communities.”
The NSW Farmers Association is handling the invites to candidates, which includes two more announced on Friday afternoon.
With the introduction of Independent Gary Pappin and Affordable Housing Now - Sustainable Australia Party candidate Lucas James Ellis to the growing list of contenders, there are eight confirmed candidates to date.
The by-election was triggered when, after being overthrown as Federal Opposition Leader in early February, long-time Member for Farrer Sussan Ley announced she would retire from politics.
Her official resignation in the weeks that followed saw an election set down for May 9.
First to launch their campaign was Independent Michelle Milthorpe, who stood against Ms Ley in 2025 and contributed to an almost nine per cent swing away from the Liberal Party.
Political commentators and polling suggests Farrer is favouring an Independent as the by-election process continues, likely Michelle Milthorpe who, until Mr Pappin’s announcement Friday, was the only Independent officially running.
One Nation is a close second with candidate David Farley.
The Liberals will seek to retain the seat with Albury-based councillor and lawyer Raissa Butkowski.
And due to Ms Ley’s resignation, the seat is also open to a The Nationals candidate for the first time since Ms Ley’s election in 2001.
A Coalition agreement has prevented the party from running against their Coalition counterpart while she was incumbent.
Standing up for The Nationals is retired Army Colonel Brad Robertson, also from the Albury area.
The Greens and Family First are both re-contesting Farrer with their 2025 candidates - Richard Hendrie and Rebecca Scriven, respectively.
Labor has still not announced a candidate, and it appears they’re unlikely to.
Last week, the ABC’s Farrer by-election page listed another potential Independent candidate in Albury-based Jordi Queiruga. This has since been removed from the page.
More details on how to register to attend the candidate forum will be provided in coming days.
• Questions for candidates can be submitted to content@denipt.com.au. Please include Farrer Candidate Forum in your subject heading, and provide your name and contact details when submitting. All submissions will be reviewed by a panel, and may be merged with similar questions to ensure several topics can be covered at the forum.