THE Coalition still has the support of the people of Farrer, says Sussan Ley, after she won her eighth term in the seat at Saturday’s election.
Despite the overall defeat of the Coalition, Ms Ley, who was the clear bookmakers’ favourite as voting took place, said a swing towards her in the primary vote indicated she and the former government had earned support through engagement and policy.
On Sunday, 84 of 87 polling booths had been counted and gave Ms Ley 53.08 per cent of the primary vote. Labor’s Darren Cameron came second after receiving 19 per cent of votes.
“I’ve bucked the trend across the state and had a swing towards me, which I’m very proud of,” Ms Ley said.
“(People have) known me for a long time (and) know that I work hard and seek to meet them on their turf and listen to their ideas and represent them in the strongest possible way.
“There was a strong endorsement of the policies of the government, and what we have done throughout the pandemic, and what we’ve done during a period that many Australians have struggled with.”
The Liberal MP recorded a 2.59 per cent swing toward her in the primary vote but had a two-candidate preferred swing against her of 2.77 per cent, receiving 67.06 per cent of the vote. Mr Cameron received 32.94 per cent.
The Coalition lost several heartland seats in what commentators said was a sign the party had lost the support of moderate supporters for its stance on climate change and an federal integrity commission, among other issues.
When counting stopped on Saturday, the Coalition was down 17 seats, leading in 59 seats as opposed to the 76 it held in 2019.
Question marks remained over whether Labor’s environment spokesperson Terri Butler would win her seat of Griffith. But Ms Ley said she would “work hard” to hold whoever was sworn in the next government to the “strongest possible account”.
“The dependence on irrigated agriculture defines the electorate of Farrer and the southern Murray-Darling Basin, and I’m here to fight for every single drop of water,” Ms Ley said.
In a positive note for the Greens, 18-year-old candidate Eli Davern came third in Farrer, almost doubling the Greens’ vote from the 2019 election by receiving 8.64 per cent.
