The following is an open letter to David Farley - The Honorable Member for Farrer.
Congratulations to David on a remarkable victory and a result that has consequences well beyond the Division of Farrer.
In Farrer, regardless of one’s politics, the electorate has been represented in Canberra by two very fine people - Tim Fischer and Sussan Ley.
Both were kind, honourable and decent people who always had the best interests of the constituents of Farrer at heart.
From a perspective of integrity, they set a very high bar.
The following is a quote from a previous letter to the editor:
“This dynamic creates a rare opening. For the first time in many years, a by-election in Farrer will attract sustained national media attention. That scrutiny provides an opportunity to elevate the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and its regional consequences into the national press, where they can be examined at a depth and intensity not previously experienced.”
So where to from here?
Given the heightened interest generated throughout the campaign and the eventual outcome, the question now becomes whether that interest will translate into an ongoing focus on Farrer and its unique challenges.
Up until the next election, I will judge David Farley and One Nation on one issue — water.
It is difficult to identify another public policy failure that has had such a profound impact on regional Australia and its communities, and which, in time, will have equally significant consequences for the cities and the nation.
David is in an enviable position. He has been given a blank canvas, enjoys an enormous groundswell of support, and faces an electorate whose expectations are understandably high.
While he may not have the numbers in Parliament to directly drive legislative change, he does have something equally important: a platform and a mandate from the people of Farrer to influence the national conversation and change the narrative.
His challenge now is to harness that support and ensure that the issues affecting regional Australia, and Farrer in particular, remain firmly on the political agenda.
The seat of Farrer borders: Division of Riverina; Division of Parkes; Division of Barker; Division of Grey; Division of Mallee; Division of Nicholls; and Division of Indi.
Every one of these seats is now in play as a result of the recent by-election.
David’s victory should be about the people of Farrer, not creating a stepping stone for One Nation to launch a much greater campaign to garner national support.
If water continues to evaporate from our communities and, by the next election, we are still having the same debate we have endured for the past decade, then One Nation will have proven no different from the parties it so decisively defeated.
The people of Farrer voted for change, not simply a change of representative.
Yours etc.
Harold Clapham
Deniliquin
18°C