THE Coalition government received a strong endorsement by the people of Farrer, says Sussan Ley, after she won her eighth term as Farrer MP in Saturday’s election.
Ms Ley, who was the clear bookmakers’ favourite before the election on Saturday, said a swing toward her in the primary vote was an indication there were “strong feelings” toward her in the electorate.
“I’ve bucked the trend across the state and had a swing towards me, which I’m very proud of,” Ms Ley said.
“People know me, they’ve 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.”
On Sunday, 84 of 87 polling booths had been counted and gave Ley 53.08 per cent of the primary vote. Cameron was placed second after receiving 19 per cent of the votes.
The Liberals MP recorded a 2.59 per cent swing toward her in the primary vote but recorded a swing against her of 2.77 per cent in the two-candidate preferred as she received 67.06 per cent of the vote, while Cameron received 32.94 per cent.
In a positive note for the Greens, 18-year-old candidate Eli Davern faired the next best, almost doubling the party’s vote from the 2019 election as he received 8.64 per cent.
The Coalition lost several heartland seats in what commentators called a sign the party had lost the support of moderate supporters for its stance on climate change and integrity, among other things.
When counting stopped on Saturday evening, the Coalition was down 17 seats, leading in 59 seats as opposed to the 76 it held in 2019.
But Ms Ley said she believed the Farrer electorate had spoken in favour of the work the Coalition had carried out in the previous three years.
“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.”
While question marks remain over whether Labor’s spokesperson for the environment Terri Butler will win her seat of Griffith, Ms Ley said she would “work hard” to give the “strongest possible account to whomever is sworn in in the next government”.
“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.
