Farley and Milthorpe Lead Farrer By Election Race
One Nation's David Farley and Climate 200-backed independent Michelle Milthorpe are leading the farrer by election race triggered by Sussan Ley's departure. Candidates are campaigning outside Albury's two polling booths this week as the contest narrows around healthcare, the Murray River and fuel costs.
Albury's Two Polling Booths
The race is unfolding in a seat that has not seen a contest like this for 25 years. Recent surveys put Farley and Milthorpe ahead, with the Liberals in third and the Nationals further behind. That leaves voters deciding between a One Nation candidate, an independent and parties that are trailing in the early count.
One Nation has spent the campaign under pressure to explain Farley's past links to Labor. He reportedly donated to Labor and tried to win preselection before the 2022 election, a history that has followed him into the Farrer contest.
David Farley in Albury
At a candidates' forum on Wednesday night at Albury's Star Hotel, Farley said, "I didn't culturally fit with them, principally because of some comments I made about Julia Gillard some years ago," and repeated the 2012 remark that Gillard was a "non-productive old cow." The comments were part of the reason he said he did not fit with Labor after the episode cost him his Labor pre-selection.
Raissa Butkowski, the Liberal candidate, used the race to argue for government experience. She said, "You can talk a lot and you can complain a lot in Canberra, but unless you can form a party of government, you're going to be nothing more than a complaints desk," drawing a direct line between the seat's local needs and the party's ability to deliver.
Sussan Ley's Departure
The by-election follows Sussan Ley's departure and has become a test of whether voters in Farrer will stay with the major parties or back a challenger. The campaign has settled on healthcare, management of the Murray River and the fuel crisis, which now frame the arguments voters will hear outside the booths in Albury.
For voters, the practical choice is already clear: the leading contest is between Farley and Milthorpe, while the Liberals and Nationals are chasing ground before ballots are cast.
