Member for Murray in the NSW parliament lower house, Helen Dalton, has told FlowNews24 she is considering a run at her local seat of Farrer in federal politics - but has left open the possibility she would run as an independent, not as a Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party candidate.
On the three-year anniversary of her election, defeating a Nationals Party incumbent, Mrs Dalton tweeted her hope of electing more people like her to displace Nationals MPs and ensure the 'Nats lose control of our river system.' Mrs Dalton has been a vocal advocate on the Murray-Darling Basin and concerns about floodplain harvesting in the northern basin, and she told FlowNews24 this was one major reason her exasperation at state level led her to consider running for Farrer.
Farrer is a large western NSW federal seat held by Environment Minister and Liberal Sussan Ley. Demographically, a strong proportion of its electors are situated in the vicinity of the rural city of Albury on the Victoria-NSW border.
When asked if she would run for Farrer as a Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party candidate, or an independent, Mrs Dalton said:
I have got to weigh up everything. I know its going to be a hard gig in Albury to do that. I've got to do a little bit of research to find out exactly how people feel. What I want is to give myself the best opportunity to take the seat.
When asked again specifically on that question, she reiterated:
I'll be weighing up every option.
Mrs Dalton spoke at length about floodplain harvesting concerns and the impact of water buyback on her constituents as the Murray Darling Basin Plan's 2024 deadline looms with water saving achievements well short of targets.