Farmers who don't mind a bit of a punt on the weather might want to leave their money in their pocket when trying to pick Saturday's NSW election.
A truck load of farmers, particularly woman, are not happy campers with the National Party. The political scene in NSW has shifted with many safe rural seats now under challenge from both the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party( SFFP) inland and the Greens and Labor in coastal seats. The traditional parties no longer command the unquestioned support of farmers and rural communities.
Farmers in areas affected by mining and coal seam gas exploration, such as the Liverpool Plains and Gloucester, are less than impressed with the coalition backing these industries to the detriment of farmers. They feel the large political donations received are buying their policy. The oft trotted out line that farmers and mining can coexist does not wash with most farmers.
The flood plain farmers, small irrigators, community members and graziers relying on the Barwon Darling river for stock water, feel the government has betrayed them, with many towns now without drinking water and stock water virtually non-existent. Without the basic need of water people justifiably get angry.
The ABC election analyst Anthony Green said the election will be won in the regions and the normal across the state swings will not happen this time because of the huge variation in seats, with strong contests in the regions of the Nationals v SFFP, Nationals v greens and Nationals v ALP, so we might have to wait until Sunday morning for the result.
The federal National Party have not helped their NSW mates, with NSW leader John Barilaro telling them to "shut up" after Barnaby Joyce's latest foray, stating he was elected as deputy Prime Minister and quite happy to take up the role again if asked.
By the time this is printed the copious quantities of bull dust will have been slung at each other, with the Liberals saying the SFFP want to revisit gun laws which they have stated categorically they do not. The ALP say they want more schools and hospitals, while the coalition say they have built more than ever before. The Liberals want to build a stadium, ALP do not, while people in the bush just want roads we can drive on.
I think we are all heartily sick and tired of politicians and their promises who only dwell on what their opponents do, farmers want them to focus on what is good for the average citizen and not their own internal political squabbles.
One thing the farm lobby should be fighting for is public funding for all elections, so political parties' policies do not get bought by big companies. Secondly, lift the quality of candidates by preselecting people of substance, not shiny shoe wearing dandies with an endless line of vacuous patter and promises as likely to occur as an accurate BOM weather forecast.