David Farley asked a question at the Griffith election debate last year, but will be on the receiving end as the One Nation candidate this time. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
Voters in Griffith will get a rare chance to put Farrer by-election candidates on the spot next week, with a ‘meet the candidates’ forum set to tackle issues ranging from immigration and campaign donations to the fuel crisis, housing shortages – and crucially, where candidates will direct their preferences.
The Griffith Business Chamber event, to be held at Exies Sporties on Monday (20 April), is the only scheduled opportunity for local residents to see the candidates together in person and ask questions ahead of polling day on Saturday 9 May.
Eight candidates have confirmed their attendance so far: independent Michelle Milthorpe, One Nation’s David Farley, Liberal candidate Raissa Butkowski, Nationals contender Brad Robertson, the Greens’ Richard Hendrie, Family First’s Rebecca Scriven, People First’s Jamie Bonnefin and Sustainable Australia’s Lucas Ellis.
They will be joined on the ballot by four others, taking the total field to 12 candidates. Independents Roger Woodward and Gary Pappin, Legalise Cannabis Australia’s Aimee Pearson and Shooters, Fishers and Farmers candidate Peter Sinclair round out the list following this week’s ballot draw.
That draw delivered a small but potentially important advantage to Ms Butkowski, who secured the top position on the ballot, just ahead of Ms Milthorpe. The position can attract so-called “donkey votes”, where voters number candidates sequentially from top to bottom.
The ballot order after the draw this week. Photo: Griffith Free Local News.
With no clear frontrunner, preferences are expected to play a decisive role in the outcome.
The only public polling of the race, released by the Australia Institute last month, placed One Nation on 29 per cent, ahead of Ms Milthorpe on 23 per cent, the Liberals on 19 per cent, the Nationals on 5 per cent and the Greens on 4 per cent.
That fragmented primary vote has sharpened focus on how candidates will direct preferences on their how-to-vote cards. Family First this week released its recommendations, placing the Nationals second and One Nation third, while ranking Ms Milthorpe second last, just ahead of the Greens.
Griffith Business Chamber president John Nikolic said the forum would give voters a valuable opportunity to scrutinise candidates on the issues that mattered most locally.
“It’s not every day that the nation shines the spotlight on the seat of Farrer,” he said.
“The Griffith Business Chamber is really proud to be hosting a first-of-its-kind event during the by-election.”
Sussan Ley debates opponents before the 2025 Farrer election, including Michelle Milthorpe (second from right), Glen Hyde, David O’Reilly and Tanya Hagraves at a Griffith forum. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
Mr Nikolic said topics would include immigration, water, housing and energy, with time allocated for questions from the audience.
“We encourage people to come along – there’ll be time for questions from the floor, and you’ll also have the opportunity to speak with candidates informally after the event,” he said.
Candidates will also be questioned by the author of this article, representing Region Media, with input from readers helping shape the discussion.
The Meet the Candidates Forum will be held at the Exies Sports Club on Speirs Street at 5:45 pm on Monday 20 April. Attendance is free, with RSVPs necessary. Questions can be submitted in advance to [email protected].
