Backers of Farrer independent candidate Michelle Milthorpe are celebrating after securing the support of a prominent pro-climate farmer who is also the son-in-law of media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Alasdair MacLeod, who leads the regenerative farming business Macdoch Australia, has donated to the Regional Voices Fund to support Ms Milthorpe in the May 9 by-election.
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The donation value will be disclosed in the Australian Electoral Commission’s 2025-26 financial year report, along with all other contributions to the Farrer contest, which now has almost a dozen candidates registered.
The AEC last week confirmed plans to begin real-time donation disclosures in July would be delayed until January 2027 due to “system constraints”.
Family First says it will not preference One Nation at the Farrer by-election due to “serious concerns” about the “conduct and record” of David Farley. (ABC News: Maani Truu)
Public polling suggests the Farrer by-election will be a close race between Ms Milthorpe, One Nation candidate David Farley and the Liberals’ Raissa Butkowski, who is seeking to replace retired former opposition leader Sussan Ley.
The result will be highly dependent on unpredictable preference flows, with no formal deals between the main contenders announced yet, though minor party Family First has announced it would not preference One Nation on this occasion.
Climate farmer backs independent in Farrer
Mr MacLeod, the husband of Mr Murdoch’s eldest daughter Prudence, said he chose to support Ms Milthorpe’s campaign because he believed she was “genuinely connected to her region and focused on delivering practical outcomes”.Â
Alasdair MacLeod is married to Rupert Murdoch’s eldest daughter Prudence (pictured). (Reuters: Fred Greaves)
“Regional Australians are facing increasing pressures, from cost of living to climate impacts on farming and infrastructure,” he said in a statement.
Mr MacLeod said his community was “angry and frustrated”, adding they had a right to be.
“Too many people feel ignored or left behind by the current system,” he said.
“We need to channel that frustration into something positive.
“Something that rebuilds trust, delivers for regional Australia, not trying to divide people and set them against each other.”
Regional Voices Fund chair Lorraine Gordon welcomed Mr MacLeod’s support.
“Alasdair has been a strong advocate for regenerative agriculture and sustainable regional economies, and it’s fantastic to see him back that commitment by supporting the fund,” Dr Gordon said.
Michelle Milthorpe’s campaign received support from Alasdair MacLeod. (ABC Goulburn-Murray: Annie Brown)
Ms Milthorpe said the regions were “fed up” with water prices tripling in the past year and fuel doubling in the last month, making it “do or die” for her community.
“It’s time to fight back,” she said.
“I thank Alasdair and the hundreds of others who have chipped in to my campaign.”
Cost of living, water and health top voters’ concerns
But Ms Milthorpe’s competitors see her association with groups like the regional fund, which gave her $60,000 to kickstart her by-election campaign in February, and Climate 200 as a sign her politics are more closely aligned with the inner-city “teal” movement.
Ms Milthorpe has previously said such donations had helped her “level the playing field” against major parties.
As the by-election nears, the candidates have stepped up their campaigning on issues like cost of living, water and health.
Ms Butkowski, the Liberal candidate for the seat, said grocery, housing, energy and fuel prices were major concerns for voters.
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“Other key issues include water security, improving local health and infrastructure and supporting small businesses and farmers,” she said.
Nationals candidate Brad Robertson also said water, health and cost of living were the major issues in Farrer.
“The specialist services available at the Albury Hospital are used by people living [in] a wide catchment area,” he said.
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Farrer will be the first federal test for a resurgent One Nation, with its candidate Mr Farley looking to translate its historically high polling results into a lower house seat.
He also said water and the Murray Darling Basin Plan, fuel security and affordability, health and cost of living were the top concerns among voters.
It is expected the by-election will be a close race between Michelle Milthorpe, One Nation candidate David Farley and the Liberals’ Raissa Butkowski. (ABC: Philippe Perez)
Mr Farley said his objective was to win the seat and then use the “machinery” One Nation had in Canberra through its existing parliamentary team to address those priorities.
“We can start bringing relevance to a lot of issues,” he said.
Asked about how prominent the issue of climate change was in Farrer, Mr Farley said the focus was more on sustainability of agriculture.
“There is a minority of people [in farming] engaged in action for climate, a majority of people engaged in making sure they are sustainable in their operations, profitable and the product they can supply into the market meets the demands of all constituents,” he said.
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Last week, Family First released a statement declaring it would not preference One Nation at the Farrer by-election due to “serious concerns” about Mr Farley’s “conduct and record”.
Family First national director Lyle Shelton cited a report about Mr Farley reposting Instagram reels by OnlyFans creators, which the One Nation candidate later defended as “inadvertent” shares.
Mr Shelton said his party would not be preferencing Mr Farley as they believed in “respecting women and girls”.