Sussan Ley hopeful paid backpackers will sour Kevin Mack’s run for Farrer

The battle is heating up in the key seat of Farrer with incumbent Sussan Ley hopeful that voters have been turned off independent Kevin Mack after the Albury mayor paid backpackers to hand out how-to-vote cards.

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Foreign backpackers manning Albury mayor Kevin Mack’s polling stations could give Liberal incumbent Sussan Ley the edge she needs to scrape over the line in Farrer.

The safe Liberal seat is poised to fall to conservative independent Kevin Mack, who has fanned voter anger about water being flushed down the Murray River under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

Ms Ley fronted irrigators at polling booths in Griffith, who nine years ago burned draft copies of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. Kevin Mack instead paid backpackers to hand out how-to-vote cards in Griffith.

Farrer independent candidate Kevin Mack. Picture: Hollie Adams

02/05/2019: Liberal MP for Farrer Sussan Ley at the ABC candidates debate in Albury NSW on Thursday evening. Hollie Adams/The Australian

“Kevin Mack is paying backpackers to hand out all his how-to-vote cards,” Ms Ley said.

“But country voters want a personal recommendation from someone they know and trust.”

Kevin Mack would not be drawn on the backpackers. “Sussan can say what she likes but the voters will be the final judge,” Mr Mack said.

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Mr Mack has called for a five year pause of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, which is the same policy the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers used to great effect when they stole western NSW seats off the Nationals in the March state election.

Under the state water sharing plan, water that would otherwise be used by NSW farmers is left in the rivers for the benefit of the environment downstream in South Australia.

The dry bed of the Darling-Barka river in Wilcannia in March 2019. Picture: Mark Evans

“The South Australian flows are about Senate seats that sit in South Australia, which both major federal parties need,” Mr Mack said.

“The Murray-Darling Basin Plan is flawed.

“You know something’s wrong when the farmers, greenies and communities aren’t happy.”

The Coalition has controlled the seat of Farrer since its inception 70 years ago but Mr Mack is a conservative and has the benefit of name brand recognition after six years as Albury mayor.

“If I can’t win it, no one can,” he said.

In the event of a hung parliament, Mr Mack will support a Coalition government on the proviso of a royal commission into the Murray-Darling.