Candidates detail water policies

A GROUP of farmers and community members in the Southern Riverina have thrown their support behind one Mallee candidate and three Farrer candidates based on their positions on water.

The Speak Up Campaign wrote to all candidates in the Mallee, Farrer, Indi and Nicholls electorates, seeking a detailed water policy and a declared opposition to water buybacks.

In Mallee, Australian Citizens Party candidate Chris Lahy, Greens candidate Nicole Rowan, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation candidate Vaughan Williams and Libertarian candidate Jeff Barry did not reply to the email.

Labor candidate Greg Olsen responded but did not detail whether he opposed buybacks, and did not outline a water policy.

Incumbent Nationals MP Anne Webster and Trumpet of Patriots candidate Adam Veitch did not provide a detailed water policy either, but did voice opposition to water buybacks.

Family First candidate Ashleigh Gray replied a day after the requested deadline, but provided a water policy and voiced opposition to buybacks.

His position had thereby received the support of the Speak Up Campaign.

In Farrer, four of the nine candidates responded, and the Speak Up Campaign supported the positions of Independent candidate Michelle Milthorpe, Shooters, Fishers and Farmers candidate Peter Sinclair and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation candidate Emma Hicks, who each opposed buybacks and provided a detailed water policy.

Trumpet of Patriots candidate Tanya Hargraves replied to the email and was opposed to buybacks but did not outline a water policy, while incumbent Liberal MP Sussan Ley did not reply to the email, but had publicly opposed buybacks recently.

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