In the NSW town of Griffith, just days after its historic by-election result, nothing looks particularly different.
The bakeries are open, tradies drift through for their mandatory 10am coffee and pensioners buzz in and out of the chemists.
If you didn’t know better, you’d have no idea the town had undergone such a radical change.
But Griffith is part of the sprawling electoral division of Farrer, the second-largest in the state.
The rural electorate spans more than 126,000 square kilometres, stretching from the city of Albury in southeastern NSW along the Murray River to the Wentworth Shire on the South Australian border.
And earlier this month, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation claimed a historic victory, securing a seat in the House of Representatives for the first time in its 30-year history – and ending the Coalition’s 77-year stranglehold in the region.
At the centre of it all is David Farley, a 69-year-old agribusiness figure from nearby Narrandera, a former CEO of the Australian Agricultural Company, and now the federal member for Farrer.
He won in a landslide, taking more than 57 per cent of the two-party-preferred vote after a campaign focused heavily on water, agriculture and regional frustration.
One Nation came out on top at eight out of 10 Griffith polling booths, with the town playing a key role in Mr Farley’s sweeping victory.
One thing these Aussies won’t admit
At one of the town’s most popular pubs, a group of young tradies said they were overjoyed by the result.
Milton, 19, said the rising cost of living and exportation of Australian-made goods had influenced his vote.
The carpenter spent the hours following Mr Farley’s win with him and Pauline Hanson after bizarrely ending up on the guest list for the One Nation after-party.
He eagerly shared a photo of himself posing alongside a beaming Ms Hanson as he planted a kiss on her cheek.
“I can’t afford to rent or to buy a home,” said Milton, who is forced to remain living at home due to financial pressures.
“[City people] say it’s easy to live in regional Australia, while they get low prices … we’re paying for everything.”
Milton believes Mr Farley has “got a couple of things to say” and ultimately “wants to get it done”.
“We want change and we want it now,” he said.
Yet in Griffith – a farming community home to just under 28,000 people, and one of the electorate’s most diverse and economically significant cities – the result is not something most people are eager to claim so publicly.
Surprisingly, in shopping centres, pubs and along the main drag, people hesitated when approached with questions about the recent by-election, which was triggered by former Liberal leader Sussan Ley’s resignation.
Despite One Nation dominating a whopping 80 per cent of polling booths in the town, there were few who openly said they voted for the party.
In fact, as I hit the streets over two days with my cameraman in an effort to uncover why this region had undergone such a drastic shift, only a couple of residents owned up to voting for One Nation.
Time after time, residents politely declined the chance to discuss the rise of One Nation in their home town.
But to dismiss their hesitation as a town unwilling to talk would be completely naive.
Griffith is a community that says it has borne the brunt of urban and political neglect for decades, and is now weighing its options carefully as the region falls on dire times.
I asked dozens of locals whether they believed that a change in leadership would be the answer they were looking for.
‘Communities are hurting’
To understand the vote here, you have to move past the surface-level politics and ideologies. Because in this town, even those who didn’t support Mr Farley understand why others did.
Third-generation farmer Nathan Crowley said he believes the result was a protest vote.
“The recent election has shown communities are hurting. I see it as a protest. Our communities are not feeling heard at the moment,” he said.
“This is a way to try and have a voice.”
For Mr Crowley and many other farmers in the region, the cost of maintaining their family farms has begun to take an unimaginable toll.
The price of water has tripled and the average price of fertiliser – which usually sits at $600 – is now closer to $1500 per tonne.
Without sustainable water, fuel and fertiliser policy, many of these family-owned farms will have to consider selling up to large corporations just to make ends meet.
Fellow local Rob, who has lived in Griffith on and off for six decades, didn’t vote for One Nation – but says he wasn’t surprised that others did.
“Everyone is looking for a change … politicians aren’t listening and we definitely feel neglected,” he said.
On the cusp of going under
If you spend even half a day speaking to people in Griffith, the troubles facing the town reveal themselves quickly.
Housing is tight and unaffordable, the price of water has hit a record high and health services are stretched beyond their limits.
“Getting a rental property here is definitely difficult,” said Linda, who has lived in the town for more than 30 years.
Robert Malone, who has lived in Griffith since 1958, said there is a strain on the community that he doesn’t believe any government can fix.
“Our medical bills are going up another $200 a year, housing is going up, the price of everything is up,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter what government is in, it’s going to happen anyway.”
Griffith mayor Doug Curran said he fears people are “getting tired, and feeling underappreciated”.
“Whether you support the successful candidate, it’s a message that the two top runners weren’t from a major party,” he said.
“Labor didn’t even run a candidate in the electorate, we see that as a sign of disrespect to our area and region. It was a huge snub.”
Mr Curran said he was unsure how the recent result would impact the community, which is famously diverse.
“The small surprise is that we are a very multicultural community … I thought there might have been more disconnect with One Nation’s policy on migration, but the successful candidate was able to break through that and connect with his experiences on water,” he said.
“The jury’s still out on how that will affect our community, being a One Nation seat now in a heavy migrant community.”
Mr Farley, who has deep roots in the region and has long been involved in water advocacy, ran a campaign focused less on ideology and more on regional priorities.
Brian*, who moved to Griffith four years ago, said that focus was his golden ticket.
“With David it boils down to a number of issues in this area, and the main one is water,” he said.
“The result didn’t surprise me, but the margin of it did.”
Brian said he “can understand the frustration at the major parties”, particularly after Labor failed to run a candidate in the region.
“As to whether One Nation’s hold is long term, I’m not sure. It’s a good sugar hit short term, as populist right leaning parties usually are. But long term, I’m not so sure,” he said.
Brian believes the rural and urban divide is a major concern across the nation, with regional communities carrying the burden.
“I think people are feeling neglected. [City residents] don’t understand that challenges faced by people out here.
“If it’s west of the Blue Mountains, people don’t care, and that goes for both sides of politics.”
‘Everyone has had a gutful’
Independent Murray state MP Helen Dalton is a farmer and former schoolteacher who strongly advocates for water security, rural health, agriculture and infrastructure.
She said the by-election result had been a “long time coming”.
“We are very passive people and we take a lot, but we deserve a piece,” she said.
“We don’t have to take this, it’s been a long time coming that we got somebody like David Farley elected. He’s so over-qualified, he knows so much about water and agriculture. It’s going to shake up Canberra.
“Farming is the most honourable profession, yet they have a lot of scorn for us. What we want is to have stability in these areas so we can keep the rice mill and dairy processing going.”
Mrs Dalton believes the area has had a “gutful” due to “poor government decisions” that undermine rural communities.
“People are pushed to their limits here,” she said.
Darren de Bortoli, managing director of Australia’s famous de Bortoli wines, said the by-election result would be a “fresh start” for the region.
Mr de Bortoli has been outspoken in his desire for change and firmly believes in fighting back against “the gross incompetence and gross stupidity” he sees in politics today.
“Our former Liberal leader Sussan Ley was up to her neck in this disaster. She had to go, she was going to be a disaster for us,” he said.
Mr de Bortoli also spoke proudly of the “successful” diversity of the town, which he believes underpins much of the region’s historical success.
“We have a very successful, multicultural, assimilated population in Griffith and we require immigration, so that’s the great oxymoron with One Nation,” he said.
“It’s not going to go down well for One Nation if this area starts to hurt due to lack of immigration.”
‘Horrendous’ result
But not all residents are celebrating One Nation’s landslide win.
Local teacher Sarah, who has lived in Griffith since 2007, described the result as “horrendous” and said people aged 60 and over had “a lot to answer for”.
“I was very surprised about the recent result, I thought we were a lot more moderate than that,” she told news.com.au.
“They forget we’re a multicultural society. The things that work for [One Nation] don’t necessarily work in a community like this.
“What they stand for doesn’t represent what we are as people.”
Sarah believes the vote came down to a “a general lack of understanding about how politics and policies work” within the community.
“The White Australia policy was in the past,” she said.
“The new wave of kids and generations aren’t like this. They will be the ones embracing climate change, migration and Welcome to Country.
“There are too many old white men ruling the world.”
*Name has been changed
