Independent candidate Michelle Milthorpe is hoping to attract the support of voters in the coming Farrer by-election following the departure of former member Sussan Ley.

Mrs Milthorpe said her role, if elected, would be to always put the people in her electorate first, promising to be “transparent and accountable” and to clearly explain the reasons behind her decisions.

“Being an independent who can work with everyone in Parliament to get results for Farrer will be how I make sure we’re heard again,” she said.

“I’ll keep taking the fight to Canberra until regional communities like ours get the services we deserve.”

Mrs Milthorpe believes her life experiences and a decade-long fight for justice have stood her in good stead to stand up for locals throughout the electorate and vowed to be a voice for them in Canberra.

She said a past experience taught her that “when governments stop listening, people get hurt”.

“In 2013 my family’s life was turned upside down when my young daughters told me they had been sexually abused by a close family friend,” she said.

“What followed was more than a decade of fighting, not just for my children, but for other victim-survivors across regional NSW.

“In the end we won $64 million so children in regional areas could access the same court support services as kids in Sydney.

“I voted for Sussan Ley in every election except the last one, like most of us, I’ve just had enough.

“Farmers are under pressure, regional services are stretched and communities feel ignored.

“I’ve taken on powerful systems before and won - now I’m ready to fight for Farrer.”

If elected, Mrs Milthorpe noted a few items she would push for improvements.

“We need a federal Royal Commission into water,” she said.

“The price of water has tripled in the past year and when farms struggle, local shops lose customers and jobs disappear.

“Our farming communities are going from thriving to surviving, and we need to fight for them.

“The flow-on effect of poor water management is felt in communities with the reduction of services and businesses in the area.

“I will shine a light on the state of healthcare, aged care and childcare in the communities that have accessibility issues to these important services.”

Farrer faces many challenges and Mrs Milthorpe highlighted the knock-on effect from just one of those.

“Water is the clearest way we get hurt by politicians in Canberra failing to listen to us, but it’s not the only way,” she said.

“There are generational farmers who are selling up because they don’t want to burden their kids with their farm – that’s how bad it has got.

“You can’t grow rice when water is this expensive.

“When farms struggle, local shops lose customers, jobs disappear, young families and essential workers move away, schools shrink, businesses close and towns slowly decline.

“Too often, party politicians in Canberra treat water like a political game, but for us, it isn’t a game, that’s why I’m calling for a Royal Commission into water.

“We need the truth about how water decisions are being made – and a plan that protects the communities that grow Australia’s food.”

Although Mrs Milthorpe knows Farrer faces many challenges, she believes

one of the biggest ones

is healthcare.

“It’s healthcare, childcare, mobile blackspots and so much more,” she said.

“On healthcare, I lost my dad during last year’s campaign.

“He faced his illness with strength and grace until the end.

“But it never should have come to that - he was misdiagnosed, had a long wait time for diagnostic scans and delayed treatment, because of his postcode.

“If he had been in the city, he may still be alive today.”

Mrs Milthorpe believes several local services are being stretched to the limit and need urgent attention.

“We don’t complain much, but everyone has their breaking point and we’re reaching ours,” she said.

“We need more GPs and nurses in the regions, better regional mental health services and a new hospital on a new site in Albury to service the 300,000 people in that region.

“Our childcare services are also far too stretched, with some town childcare centres having waitlists of over 300.

“We need to fix our housing shortages to make sure there’s enough affordable housing for essential workers, including childcare workers, and get the federal government to commit more funding so we have enough childcare services out here.”

Mrs Milthorpe said “stronger federal oversight” is needed to ensure regional communities still have access to essential services such as banking, bill payment and postal facilities.

“Losing these services has a real impact on local economies and everyday life,” she said.

“In healthcare, we need a nationally coordinated approach to workforce planning that focuses on getting more doctors, nurses and allied health professionals into regional areas.

“That includes training pathways, incentives and long-term workforce strategies.

“In education, we must properly fund public schools and support regional training opportunities.

“Strong communities rely on strong services and regional Australians deserve fair access.”

Regional roads and transport infrastructure are also a focus and Mrs Milthorpe has some ideas on how Farrer’s transport network could be improved.

“Regional councils are responsible for maintaining vast road networks but often don’t have the revenue base to keep up with the growing demand,” she said.

“I would advocate for a fairer federal funding model that recognises the true cost of delivering infrastructure across large regional areas.

“That includes equitable grants and long-term funding certainty for councils.”