The polls have opened across the Farrer electorate with voters being asked to make a decision for one of eight candidates who will be their Canberra representative.
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Standing for election is the incumbent Member for Farrer Sussan Ley, she's facing challenges from the Greens' Eli Davern, Ian Roworth from the Liberal Democrats, independent Amanda Duncan-Strelec, Paul Britton from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, Labor's Darren Cameron, Julie Ramos for United Australia Party and Richard Francis from One Nation.
You can read more about them here and you can find their final pitch for your vote here.
While Farrer is nominally a safe seat with Ms Ley holding onto it with a 19.8 per cent majority, several promises have been made to secure the support of voters including $3 million for the re-development of the Roxy Theatre, $5 million for SunRice to on-shore manufacturing and $2 million to re-develop Darlington Point's caravan park.
Labor Senator Deborah O'Neill has promised Leeton will become one of 400 towns to receive a community battery to help lower the price of electricity bills.
POLLING PLACES
Those casting their vote in on Saturday can do so at the following locations from 8am to 6pm:
- Griffith North Public School
- Uniting Church Hall, Noorebar Avenue
- Griffith Public School
- Griffith East Public School
- Lake Wyangan Public School
- Yoogali Public School
- Hanwood Public School
- Beelbangera Public School
- Yenda Public School
- Murrumbidgee Council Chambers, Darlington Point
- Coleambally Central School
- Barellan Central School
- Goolgowi Public School
- Hillston Central School
"For the first time ever, I don't know who to vote for."
Voters out at Griffith North Public School aren't just here for the sausage sizzles and bake sales, with many deliberating outside on who would be best to lead the country - and no amount of 'how-to-votes' are making that decision easier.
Reid Davis, a 25 year old man, said his main concern was keeping industry local.
"The agriculture industry is pretty strong, that's what you want to keep."
He explained that he was concerned about Australia's engineering industry going overseas.
"Just keep it open and alive, and keep it local."
Jamie Fishenden and his partner Emily Fishenden said that mental health was their major concern.
"A lot is being put towards research rather than action. I'd like to see that research money put towards action."
Dorothy Crouch, who turns 71 in a few days, was selflessly concerned about the state of Australia for young people.
"I'm worried about young people with the housing," she said.
"Once they're in houses, the mortgage rates they've got to be paying are just -" she trailed off.
Ms Crouch said that for the first time in her voting life, she wasn't sure who she was going to vote for.
"For the first time ever, I don't know who to vote for. What we've got is a mob of turkeys - that's the same across the world - and a lot of people are feeling like I do."
David and Goliath
With the Liberal party and Sussan Ley holding onto the electorate with a 19.8 per cent lead, Farrer is historically an incredibly safe Liberal seat. In fact, the Coalition has held the seat since 1972 with Ms Ley herself holding it since 2001.
But despite such odds, Labor volunteers can still be found handing out 'how-to-votes' outside polling booths on election day. The Area News asked what motivates them to fight such an uphill battle.
"It does feel a bit like David and Goliath, but if you don't do anything then you can't change anything," said Denise Gale, handing out red flyers at Griffith East Public School.
"Whether you're successful or not, you tried. It's about having that courage of your convictions."
Both Ms Gale and her colleague Allana Sainty said that 'change' was their key motivator.
"I see a lot of what I perceive as corruption. I'd like to see more grassroots, community-focused social change," said Ms Gale.
"I remain hopeful."
How the sausage gets made
It's a staple of the Australian diet, and an even better filler than this paragraph - it's the democracy sausage.
Outside the Uniting Church on Noorebar Avenue is a small grill and some water bottles, for a gold coin each, as is tradition.
Loa Loseli is helping sell snags-in-bread to hungry voters, but he says that while the money could help the church, it was about more than that.
"We're just here to give everyone something to eat. Whoever needs something, it's no sweat."
Mr Loseli added that they were using the opportunity to offer some of the church's values and promote themselves, as well as share a convenient lunch.
"It's not only money, but to communicate. There's a lot of people coming into vote."
The Uniting Church hadn't set a goal to hit, simply hoping to see how much they could make through the most noble of fundraising methods.
"We'll just see how we go."
Mr Loseli finished by saying they'd stick around for as long as people were still coming in to place their votes.
Party volunteers few and far between
At some of the smaller polling places around Griffith, volunteers with how-to-vote cards are hard to find.
Barbara Jefferies was the only volunteer at Yenda Public School, happily handing out guidance for voters from Sussan Ley.
Mrs Jefferies is a fixture at Yenda when it comes to elections having handed out for candidates including Austin Evans, Adrian Piccoli, Noel Hicks, Adrian Cruikshank. It's her second time handing out for Ms Ley.
"The best part of this is you see people you haven't seen for years and years," Mrs Jefferies said.
Despite having an edge on giving voters advice, Mrs Jefferies said she missed the camaraderie among other volunteers during election day.
Meanwhile over at Hanwood Public School, John Dal Broi had been volunteering for the incumbent Member for Farrer since 10am.
Mr Dal Broi said when he started his shift on Saturday morning there was a line of waiting voters out the door.
As the afternoon began however, he said voters had seen lines at bigger polling places in Griffith and were opted for the shorter queue at Hanwood.
Mr Dal Broi was the only person distributing how-to-vote cards until Julie Ramos, the candidate for the United Australia Party arrived.
'THERE'S OPTIONS BEYOND MAJOR PARTIES'
United Australia Party candidate Julie Ramos knows that to beat Sussan Ley to win the seat of Farrer will be a tough ask.
The electoral division of Farrer measures around 125,590 square kilometres.
"Farrer's huge, it's hard to get someone everywhere," Mrs Ramos said.
On Saturday, Mrs Ramos aimed to visit as many polling booths as possible, to not only meet voters, but thank the volunteers who were helping out.
She said the volunteers had been working hard to spread the UAP's message.
"I really appreciate everyone's support."
Mrs Ramos said the state of the country and a desire to see people getting back to work following pandemic lockdowns were big factors in her decision to run in the election.
While she'd like to win, she hopes to send a message to Canberra and Farrer voters.
"I'm really hoping that people understand there's more to this election than Labor or Liberal," Mrs Ramos said.
She said up to Saturday afternoon she'd received positive reactions from Albury - the biggest city in the electorate and from her visits to Griffith's polling places.
Ley to hold Farrer
Just after 9pm on Saturday, and with 71 of 86 polling places having returned their votes, Sussan Ley will return the seat of Farrer.
She earned 51.47 per cent of the vote, or 23,107 first preference votes.
Labor's Darren Cameron is her closest challenger on 18.01 per cent of the vote, or 8086 first preference votes, followed by the Greens' Eli Davern with 4076 votes of 9.08 per cent of the vote.
Polling places including Barooga, Griffith West, Moama, and Oaklands plus pre-polling, are yet to be counted.
Counting will continue until midnight on Saturday.
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