Labor’s Mark Jeffreson has confirmed that he will contest the seat of Riverina in next year’s federal election. Photo: Supplied.
Wagga’s local Labor Party president Mark Jeffreson has confirmed that he will be standing once again as a candidate for Riverina for the 2025 federal election.
Mr Jeffreson has lived in Wagga for more than three decades and he said he understood the issues.
“I know the region well. I’ve worked around the region a lot and I know what it’s like living in rural and regional Australia,” he said.
It will be the third time that the Wagga business consultant has thrown his hat into the ring, and he said the focus of his campaign would be cost-of-living relief.
“Any of us who walk into a supermarket or go to the garage knows what a situation it is,” he said.
“Most of our (Labor’s) policies have been aligned with bringing relief to the cost of living and there’s a lot that’s been done, but there’s a lot to be done.”
Explaining why cost-of-living pressures had not improved during Labor’s tenure, Mr Jeffreson pointed across the aisle and singled out the incumbent Member for Riverina.
“The Nationals and the Liberals, along with the Greens, have blocked, delayed, and deferred every cost-of-living measure that the government has put forward,” he said.
“Michael McCormack and the Nationals have presented no alternative policies and presented no vision to support regional Australia, except opposing cheaper medicines, housing solutions, and cost-of-living relief while proposing $100 billion of cuts in services, meaning the Riverina will lose jobs, lose cost-of-living support, and lose access to health care.”
At the last federal poll, in 2022, Mr Jeffreson achieved a 4.6 per cent swing to the ALP but Mr McCormack comfortably retained the seat with 64.8 per cent of the vote on two-party preferred.
In October, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) confirmed new boundaries for the Riverina electorate that could slightly tip the balance against the Nationals.
The local government areas of Bland, Forbes and Parkes moved into the Parkes electorate held by the Nationals’ Mark Coulton. The federal seat of Riverina now includes the Snowy Valleys and Yass Valley LGAs, which were previously within Labor MP Kristy McBain’s seat of Eden-Monaro, and the Upper Lachlan LGA as well as the Boorowa section of the Hilltops LGA from the Hume electorate, held by the Liberals’ Angus Taylor.
According to ABC election pollster Antony Green, the extensive boundary shift will impact Mr McCormack’s margins by as much as 5 per cent and an influx of independent candidates could make preferences all the more important.
“Usually, it’s only a minor edge shifting here and there, but there’s been a significant change this time,” Mr Jeffreson said.
“We’re getting out amongst it and saying g’day to people, and trying to make ourselves known, and we’re optimistic that the offering that we’re going to have is one that will be fairly compelling for the people in the Riverina.”
Mr Jeffreson said Mr McCormack and the Coalition had “failed the Riverina and the country”, and he warned that they would use culture war issues as a distraction as the campaign began.
“They are trying to pump up the culture wars because the National Party and the Liberal Party don’t really have any policy positions at the moment, except for a [nuclear] energy pipe dream and certain flags [Aboriginal] that they will refuse to stand in front of,” he said.
“Neither of those is going to provide any relief to cost of living and for people who are still having a significant battle just to make ends meet.”
The federal poll must be held on or before 27 September, 2025, to elect the members of the 48th Parliament of Australia.
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