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For 23 years, the Liberal Party held the rural NSW electorate of Farrer safely.
The local member was Sussan Ley, who was elected in 2001 and had to wait nearly 15 years until she was given a cabinet position.
Against all odds, this rural MP made it to the top, briefly.
All she had to do was hold on until 5 Liberal leaders self-destructed and she was the last one standing.
But in the end, Angus Taylor knifed her and she resigned. This means her seat is now up for grabs at a May 9 by-election.
Prior to Ley, it was held by the National Party for nearly decades under former Deputy Prime Minister, Tim Fischer. Those days are long gone. As it stands, the TAB has the Nats paying 34 bucks for the Farrer By-Election.
And the voters have made it clear that they take issue with how their local member was treated by her own party. The Liberals are paying 15 bucks.
It's become a test for just about every political party except for Labor, who are sitting this one out so they can watch the Coalition implode from the sidelines.
If the Liberals or the National Party cannot win the agricultural heartland electorate of Farrer - it means that the Coalition is beyond fucked.
The Australian media have decided that they will instead treat One Nation - the fringe far-right minor party from Queensland - as though they are Prime Minister Albanese's opposition.
Ever since this media narrative was established late last year, Australia's major newspapers have been unable to stop themselves from becoming cheerleaders for Pauline Hanson and her extreme views.
What she lacks in economic policy, she makes up for culture wars clickbait.
However, the only problem with this narrative is the fact that Sussan Ley nearly lost her seat in the 2025 election, to a community-backed 'Pocock-style' Independent candidate by the name of Michelle Milthorpe.
Strangely, this Betoota Advocate article could very well be the first time that name has appeared in print.
For those who have never heard of her before, she is a prominent anti-child abuse campaigner, an advocate for rural health and education - and a keen supporter of water policy reform. She's also a teacher.
She has an army of door knockers and the farmers love her.
Milthorpe ran at Sussan Ley from the back fence in 2025 - and after the recounts, the final result was 43.81% to Milthorpe, 56.19% to Ley.
It is generally acknowledged that Ley would have lost the seat if the voters weren't so certain that she would become the next leader of the Liberal Party.
And now Milthorpe is doing it again, against One Nation.
She is currently paying $2.00 to win the seat. One Nation is currently paying $1.75.
These odds do not take into account the very strange flow of preferences that are likely to come from the collapse of the Coalition and the lack of a Labor candidate.
Milthorpe's spectacular grassroots campaigning comes as a major inconvenience to the Australian media, who really wanted rural Australians to embarrass themselves on May 9.
