When all is said and done, politics should be about people.

Last week, I sat in a farmers’ rights forum, listening to the views of many directly impacted by government-enabled projects.

Whether you agree or not with the specific projects – renewable energy, mineral sand mines or transmission lines – and the government policies behind them, there were some insightful points made at the St Arnaud forum.

Plenty of the talk around the rise of One Nation, and the impact it would have on The Nationals and the Liberals gave ‘food for thought’.

Gannawarra Shire Mayor Garner Smith took Member for Mallee Anne Webster to task over her change in mind about the VNI West project – which she had initially supported in her early days as an MP.

Dr Webster has since changed her positions – which she said was because she had listened to the feedback of her constituents about the negative impacts of the project on prime agricultural land.

The Gannawarra mayor made a good point that when VNI West was introduced, it was under the times of the Morrison Coalition government.

It raises the question – can we really trust any political parties?

So much toeing the party line, policies being influenced by wealthy backers, and lies and backflips for various underlying reasons.

There were several uncomfortable moments at the forum when audience members asked the hard questions of the four Nationals MPs in attendance – particularly Victorian leader Danny O’Brien.

The feeling on display at the forum showed a distaste for the state-based Nationals’ policies when it came to protecting agricultural land – the audience implored them to do more when it came to pushing back against VNI West and mining on agricultural land.

The Nats held firm to change the narrative back to blaming Labor for pretty much every problem in Australia.

But, sitting there, among people who lived in what would traditionally be Nationals’ heartland, it was hard to see which party is the best choice for our region.

Look at the Australian Labor Party. Founded on principles of social justice and equality, but are we seeing that in reality?

Teachers were striking for a better pay deal, police being pushed to the brink in an out-of-control crime rate in Melbourne, and, as outlined in this week’s front page story, a cost-of-living crisis and housing pressures so great that homelessness is regularly on view in our streets.

The Salvation Army yesterday issued an urgent warning that Australia’s cost-of-living crisis is spiralling into an emergency for the nation’s most marginalised people, with a new report revealing nearly one in five people surveyed saying they had eaten from bins and three in five saying they had eaten expired or spoiled food in the past 12 months. 

The new report surveying 4400 Australians seeking emergency relief support from The Salvos revealed almost one third say they skipped meals daily, with 35 per cent surviving on only one meal a day, while 67 per cent said they watered down food or drinks to make them last longer. 

Let those statistics sit with you, just for a minute. How are we, as a society, and our government leaders, finding that acceptable?

There’s a lot to play out ahead of the November state election – and while we probably won’t see any major backflips in policy – all parties have a lot to prove to earn the vote of people in our region.

The entire May 27, 2026 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!

The entire May 27, 2026 edition of AgLife is available online. READ IT HERE!