00:02On drive through Daniloquin, or on the shores of Lake Hume, at silos in Henty, and rallies
00:20in Albury.
00:21What's required is courage.
00:24This campaign has stretched across the vast electorate of Farrah.
00:30Labor isn't running, but the Liberals, Nationals, One Nation and a local Independent are all
00:36in the hunt to replace former Liberal leader Susan Lee.
00:40Farrah has been held by the Coalition since its creation in 1949, but travelling around
00:46this electorate, you get the feeling that change is in the air.
00:51Yeah, I'd like what the Liberal to win, but things aren't looking that way.
00:54I do feel that people have had enough.
00:56I think people have kept quiet for far too long.
00:59There's a real push for an Independent, there's a real push for One Nation.
01:04Like much of the electorate, the town of Daniloquin has been feeling the effects of the housing
01:09shortage first hand.
01:12Real estate agent and local Mayor Ashley Hall has just sold the last property on his books.
01:18Over the last couple of years we've seen a big increase in rough sleeping in the area,
01:24and that's basically from couchsurfing to basically people living at rough in tents on,
01:28say the riverbanks, which is a real worry.
01:31We've been growing the population at circa 1.5% to 1.6%, but have we been growing a housing
01:38plan for it?
01:39Have we been growing our health plan for it?
01:41Our retirement planning and all that for it?
01:43No, we haven't.
01:43David Farley wants to slash the GST on building materials while reducing overall migration levels,
01:51but not, he says, at the expense of regional communities.
01:56We have genuine needs out here, both in agriculture, agricultural servicing businesses, healthcare,
02:03aged care.
02:03You start focusing on the quality of immigrant you want, and the skills demand that's there
02:08and available.
02:10One Nation MPs have only ever sat in the federal lower house after switching party membership.
02:16There's a lot of country to cover.
02:18But David Farley could be the first to win a House of Representatives seat with the One
02:22Nation name on the ballot.
02:24This is Francis this morning.
02:25And locals with their ear to the ground are hearing the buzz.
02:29The One Nation candidate, a lot of people are talking about it, and I can see why.
02:34And, you know, sometimes you just have to make those radical changes to be able to make
02:38a voice get heard, otherwise you'll be unheard forever.
02:43The other outsider gaining ground is independent Michelle Milthorpe.
02:48I don't think we can continue doing things the way that we always have.
02:51The parties haven't shown us that they can represent us well, and that's why I'm here.
02:55When it comes to housing, she wants more support for regional councils.
03:01We don't have developers coming in and wanting to build big housing developments, so it falls
03:09back again onto our local government.
03:11So it's about working with government to help regional communities with infrastructure.
03:16Supporters say they're drawn to both her passion and her platform.
03:21This, to me, speaks four points.
03:24Medical shortages, mental health shortages, teacher shortages, housing, you know, it's
03:31all there.
03:31And I think this is what Michelle's hoping, that the Labor people will move towards her.
03:36We know...
03:38Michelle Milthorpe won 43% of the two candidate preferred vote at last year's election, but
03:44it could be a steeper hill to climb this time.
03:48The Liberals, Nationals and One Nation are all preferencing each other over the Independent.
03:55If it is determined on preferences, I still believe we are absolutely in with a chance
03:59to win this.
04:00And we've demonstrated that today.
04:02After two temporary splits during Susan Lee's leadership, the Coalition has made a point
04:08of campaigning together.
04:09And the candidates insist they're listening to the people of Farrah.
04:13They feel unheard, and that's not something that I'm willing to dismiss.
04:18What I can say is that I'm not Susan Lee.
04:21I am Ray Sawakowski.
04:22I am a very different candidate.
04:24This is in our DNA to fight for rural regional Australia.
04:27And this is our heartland.
04:29We've got examples of hospitals, roads, bridges.
04:33All that infrastructure.
04:34Child care centres.
04:36You know, that's what we achieve for our rural areas.
04:39All four main candidates share common ground on some issues.
04:44Agreeing on the need for greater scrutiny of water management in the Murray-Darling River
04:49Basin.
04:49With no Labor candidate standing, there's no direct path from the promises made here to
04:55become government policy.
04:56But the result on May the 9th could still send a strong message to Canberra.
05:02A spotlight is finally being shone on the seat of Farrah, which is such an amazing contributor
05:06to Australia's economy, but in fact has for a long time been neglected.
05:11Another traditionally safe seat that's no longer taken for granted.
05:15All right.
05:18You
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