As Federal Parliament takes its winter break, the new Member for Farrer is making his way around the electorate, meeting with community groups and business owners, including in Corowa and Mulwala.

Farrer is the second largest electorate in NSW and Mr Farley is the first Farrer MP not to belong to the Liberal or National parties.

The electorate has a blue-ribbon history and, until now, every MP since its formation in 1949 has served as a Minister in the Federal Parliament.

The previous member, Sussan Ley was leader of Liberal Party until a spill triggered her resignation from parliament, forcing a by-election.

Her predecessor, Tim Fisher was a former leader of The Nationals and Deputy Prime Minister.

David Farley is a rookie, but with a clear message.

“I'm your representative; it's my role to represent you and your issues, but don’t give me challenges,” he said.

“Don't give me problems or complaints; give me solutions that I can take to the Parliament, or alternatively, give me your solutions that I can work with the state or the local governments to work out.”

He said the biggest issue in discussions with business owners had been the power of red and green tape and how it’s “emasculating” businesses.

With “powerful amounts of duplication at three levels”, it is costing enterprise time and money without, he argues, any efficiency at achieving the goals.

“That's the biggest thing we're noticing; that the entrepreneurialism, the aspirations, and the determination is there but the frustration is how we're governing business and how we're governing society,” Mr Farley said.

The question of water

Throughout the by-election campaign, water rights and buy backs emerged as the most consistent issue throughout Farrer, a region reliant on irrigation.

David Farley may be a parliamentary novice, but extensive experience in agribusiness and irrigated agriculture, in Australia and the USA, has given him a complex understanding of the issues and the playing field.

He’s been on the front foot in Parliament raising questions about drought preparedness, agricultural water allocations and food security.

His position seemingly contradicts that held in 2008 when the country was deep in drought and Mr Farley was on the board of Tandou Station, one of Australia’s largest irrigators.

Then he advocated that emergency water could be made available to improve river health, with short and long term lease arrangements, at the right price.

Today he says water buys backs damage farming and must stop.

He puts the change in position down to “time tenure” and awareness of the “unintended consequences coming out”.

“You will have the review of the 2026 Murray-Darling Basin 10-year plan, and the review of the final draft of the Australian Food Security Strategy,” he said.

“Why would you continue buying water back until you know the outcome of all of those?”

The reviews are expected to be handed down before the end of 2026 along with a review of the 2007 Water Act, which created the national framework for Murray–Darling Basin management and established the office of the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder.

“At the moment, the government's got the power in the Senate and the help of The Greens in the lower house, so it's their prerogative to either wait or not,” he said.

“My request to the government is to wait on that.

“I'm surprised that (the coalition) isn’t prosecuting the case themselves.”

The future

There are those who question David Farley’s commitment to One Nation long-term.

He claims to support all the party’s policies, but there are differences in mindset.

He is no climate denier, and argues that regional industries need skilled migrant labour, supporting immigration levels much higher than One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson.

He recently voted to cap fuel tax credits for large companies and voted alongside the Teal Independents and The Greens on further gambling reforms, both votes he later characterised as rookie mistakes.

Whether One Nation’s current polling and David Farley’s future as the Member for Farrer eventuates as juggernaut or flash-in-the-pan, only time will tell.

For now, at least, Farrer has made history by electing One Nation’s first-ever Member of the House of Representatives.

Cobram Courier Google News Panels

Thursday, 7th April 2033

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