One Nation has set up a Griffith office at the old Rockmans store, next to Bertoldos. Milthorpe’s office is the other side of the bakery. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
The Farrer by-election is shaping up to be one for the history books, with the usual political order turned upside down.
All the focus is on a minor party and an independent, the Liberals and Nationals are cast as bit players and Labor – the party of government – is not even in the race.
That inversion is visible on the ground. Frontrunners One Nation and independent Michelle Milthorpe have both set up shop on Banna Avenue’s middle block in Griffith, with the iconic Bertoldo’s Bakery neatly sandwiched between them – a fitting image for a contest squeezed into unfamiliar political territory.
But beyond the shifting power dynamics, this campaign has delivered a series of bizarre moments: a public snub that isn’t really one, a shock endorsement, a missing political heavyweight, and interventions from unlikely outsiders. In a race already defying convention, here are five of the strangest twists so far.
Family First (sort of) snubs One Nation
You’d think Family First and One Nation would be natural allies, right? Two populist, right-wing minor parties, both concerned about immigration and frustrated with the political establishment.
But Family First candidate Rebecca Scriven announced this week she would refuse to recommend preferences to Pauline Hanson’s party, citing concerns about its candidate David Farley’s attitude towards women.
The Daily Telegraph reported that Mr Farley once shared a series of racy OnlyFans reels on Instagram. Farley told the paper it was accidental and he “had no idea what OnlyFans is,” but Ms Scriven wasn’t convinced.
“Family First will not be preferencing One Nation in Farrer because we believe in respecting women and girls,” she said.
It seems a strange position for a party that has often praised Donald Trump, who is not exactly a feminist standard-bearer. But dig a little deeper, and the supposed “snub” unravels.
“Given the teals tend to support harmful social policy such as gender fluid indoctrination of children it is highly likely Ms Milthorpe will be preferenced below Mr Farley,” Family First director Mr Lyle Shelton told Region.
In other words, One Nation is still likely to benefit by being place ahead of their main competitor. In Farrer, even political rebukes come with fine print.
Katter Endorses Milthorpe
If that wasn’t strange enough, the campaign has already given us the most unlikely political alliance since Al Gore shared a podium with Clive Palmer.
Bob Katter, the maverick MP from North Queensland, has endorsed Climate 200-backed independent Michelle Milthorpe – ahead of a smorgasbord of conservative candidates running against her.
Given Mr Katter once quipped he’d “walk to Bourke backwards” if the gay population of North Queensland was greater than 0.001 per cent, the endorsement left many of Ms Milthorpe’s supporters blinking, though the candidate herself made it clear she does not agree with all of his views.
Bob Katter’s move may be strategic: the party named after him may also be crushed by the One Nation rise, and Ms Milthorpe represents its most likely vanquisher in Farrer.
Whatever the reason, it’s another reminder that in Farrer, even the unlikely is becoming routine.
Where Is Sussan Ley?
While the minor parties duke it out, the MP who has held the seat for 25 years has been nowhere to be seen. Sussan Ley’s absence from the campaign trail is striking, even though she would have been devastated to be dumped as leader.
The Liberals are now rank outsiders to retain a seat once considered very safe. Her visibility could have helped candidate Raissa Butkowski, but instead her absence leaves the party without a familiar figure to rally around. Sometimes absence speaks louder than presence – and in Farrer, it’s deafening.
Zali Steggall enters the fray
Even stranger: Manly-based MP Zali Steggall has waded into this rural contest. She took to social media to publicly dispute claims made by Farrer candidates that the so-called ‘teal’ independents would strip farmers of their diesel fuel rebate.
Ms Steggall’s intervention highlights the bizarre contradictions of this campaign: the local MP is absent, while a Sydney-based teal is making waves. In a by-election full of oddities, this is the ultimate outsider cameo.
Health check — where are the candidates on the hospital crisis?
It seems everyone in Albury, Griffith and surrounds is talking about problems with their hospital. Except that is, for the Farrer candidates. In Albury, doctors have cast no-confidence votes amid unrest; in Griffith, children are waiting two years to see a paediatrician and travelling long distances for basic services.
If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything – and it’s this disconnect between what voters are living and what the campaign is focusing on that is becoming harder to ignore. As the race continues to be dominated by its stranger moments, candidates risk appearing out of touch if they don’t hit issues that concern voters.
But with five weeks still to polling day, if this campaign has shown anything, it’s that voters can expect the unexpected right up to the final vote.
Original Article published by Oliver Jacques on Region Riverina.
