Pauline Hanson link: David Farley sought Voices cooperation before 2024
pauline hanson candidate David Farley sought to work with the Voices movement before Voices of Farrer endorsed Michelle Milthorpe later in 2024. Documents show he texted and emailed a coordinator in February 2024 about a Farrer platform, preferences, and a possible meeting.
Farley also wrote that Sussan Ley, the deputy leader of the Liberal party and Farrer incumbent, would not go without “a serious fight.”
February 2024 texts
In a February 2024 text, Farley told a Voices of Farrer coordinator he “Would like to share some thoughts on a ‘Farrer platform’ for a campaign for both NSW federal Senate and the seat of Farrer.”
He followed that with an email saying he “Would welcome discussion when we meet Tuesday on the proposed management of preferences, whose and how to secure them.” He also wrote, “Next federal election must be on or before 27th September 2025 ~ 19 month away or earlier, time is of the essence as D day isn’t clearly transparent [sic].”
Voices of Farrer event
Farley’s contact with the group did not start in 2024. In September 2023, he reserved a ticket to a Voices of Farrer event called Gathering In Griffith and added a small donation.
He later told event organisers he had booked conflicting meetings and could not attend. In a follow-up message, he said he would welcome meeting the team at Voices For Farrer “in the near future.”
Michelle Milthorpe endorsement
Voices of Farrer later in 2024 endorsed Michelle Milthorpe. That left Farley outside the group he had tried to engage before its choice became public.
The contest in Farrer had already shifted by then. Ley retained the seat in 2024 on a 56-44 margin, after winning it 66-34 at the 2022 election.
The sequence shows Farley was not reaching out after the race was settled. He was seeking a role in how a community independent campaign would shape its platform and preferences before the movement settled on his rival.
