Ley leaves

"One of the good ones," is what they'll say as another politician leaves politics

 

Sussan Ley was one of those, as far as Liberals go. I appreciated that she played the role of sitting member and answered my emails on subjects like the importance of the public broadcaster and migration. I met her a couple of times and she was an effective politician in that she made a point of introducing herself.

 

One of the things not being acknowledged in Ley's departure from Parliament is how long the writing has been on both the proverbial wall and the news websites: In both 2023 and 2022 the Prime Minister intervened to ensure she was the Liberal candidate preselected for the seat of Farrer.

 

Ley leaves as the first female Liberal leader amid discussion of quotas and it's clear how much of a problem the party has with women.

 

When you consider the strong support Ley had as a sitting member with twice as many votes as the most recent opponent, it's clear the Liberal party will run a candidate across all the towns in Farrer. There are many towns and one expects they need to have recognition in either Albury, Deni and/or Griffith. The local members are active at all the polling stations and that is a significant achievement, however it remains to be seen if the local party membership has a say in their candidate.

 

No profile of Ley is complete without acknowledging her pilot's licence and the role it plays in covering a massive electorate like Farrer. The Liberals gained the seat with Ley when The Nationals' Tim Fischer resigned and the Coalition agreement means it is open for both parties to contest given there's no incumbent. The Nationals role has shrunk in the region as independent Helen Dalton took the state electorate of Murray many years ago. Given Dalton's interest in water legislation, the opportunity to play a role in federal parliament must interest her but it would be expensive to attempt a campaign without party funding. 

 

A group of irrigators have contributed to previous independent candidates in their campaigns against Ley, as has Climate 200, but neither have the numbers of actual human resources that the local Liberal branches send to polling stations. One Nation now has Barnaby Joyce for publicity and it will be a sign of whether the party is ready to run a federal campaign if he spends much time in the Riverina.