Plus farm robots and a rural legacy. Welcome to Galah Weekly, our award-winning newsletter keeping you up to date with regional headlines that matter, plus other delightful things from life beyond the city. By Dean Southwell, who is never organised enough to vote early.
Regional Australians will have a huge say in who governs after Saturday — and it’s not all about who gets your No. 1 vote.
About 18 million Australians are enrolled to vote in this federal election and a third of them live outside the capital cities. Almost half of the 51 seats considered marginal by the Australian Electoral Commission are in the regions.
It’s an election campaign where cost of living and housing are the key issues. Early polling opened on Tuesday; more than 1.7 million votes have been cast and about half the electorate is expected to have voted before Saturday. Campaigning has been overshadowed by Easter, the death of the Pope and Anzac Day.
Polls indicate a tight election with Labor and the Liberal-National Coalition likely to win about two-thirds of the vote, well down in historical terms.
Why that matters It’s now rare for a candidate to win outright. Three-way contests where Greens, minor parties or independents are genuine threats to the major parties are more common, so preferences become crucial.
The regions will get a share of the billions being promised, but despite organisations such as the Regional Australia Institute calling for coherent plans to deliver infrastructure and manage growth, there are few signs of real strategies for the regions.
Economists and other groups have criticised both major parties for concentrating on election sweeteners (think tax and housing) instead of genuine reform.
Energy policy remains a critical point of difference between the major parties and it has major implications for the regions. Labor plans to continue the transition to renewables, which already generate almost half of Australia’s power. It’s a faster transition from coal-fired power than the Coalition plans.
The Coalition wants to introduce nuclear energy based around seven power plants at former coal power station sites at Tarong and Callide (Qld), Liddell and Mount Piper (NSW), Port Augusta (SA), Loy Yang (Vic) and near Collie (WA). The Coalition plan would extend the life of some coal-fired power stations and rely on gas to support energy supply, promising a scheme to reserve gas for domestic users. The Coalition would scrap Labor’s $20 billion Rewiring the Nation Fund and instead put money into a regional future fund, arguing its plan would not require as many new transmission systems, although that has been questioned.
Cost of living The major parties broadly matched promises in areas such as bulk billing, medicines and energy rebates. Labor announced across-the-board tax cuts in last month’s federal budget that would be worth about $268 from next year and $536 in 2027. It has also offered a $1000 instant tax deduction for work expenses. The Coalition has pledged to repeal Labor’s tax cut and instead halve the fuel excise for a year, which it says will save motorists about $14 a week. It’s also put forward a one-off $1200 tax offset for most workers next year.
Housing Labor has committed to building 100,000 homes for first-home buyers and would provide guarantees to allow 5% deposits. The Coalition says first-home buyers would be able to claim interest payments as a tax deduction and access up to $50,000 of their superannuation for deposits. It would also relax lending rules and scrap Labor’s housing future fund.
The Greens Potentially the party will hold the balance of power in the House of Representatives in a hung parliament, and is likely to be central to getting legislation through the Senate for whoever governs. Leader Adam Bandt has already signalled he wants reform of negative gearing on the table in any negotiations, which the major parties have avoided.
Trumpet of Patriots Qld mining magnate Clive Palmer has spent hundreds of millions advertising in the past few federal elections. This time it’s for his Trumpet of Patriots, which he says would introduce Trump-style policies. Aside from an obvious dislike of the Welcome to Country, Trumpet of Patriots advocates migration cuts, high-speed rail and capping interest rates at 3%.
Independents Climate 200, the crowd-funded organisation that helped successful teal independents in 2022, is backing at least 35 independent candidates across the country. The Community Independents Project is supporting 38 candidates, many in regional electorates – read our analysis in Galah Issue 12.
The basics Australians will vote for 150 House of Representative seats, and 40 of the 76 Senate seats. Voting is compulsory for all Australian citizens aged 18 and over. Election-day polls open at 8am on 3 May, closing at 6pm. Results will start flowing soon after and most seats will be decided on the night. The Senate count takes weeks, in part because of a mandatory 13-day wait for postal votes.
The existing parliament House of Representatives: Labor 77; Liberal-Nationals 53; Greens 4, Independents 13, Centre Alliance 1, Katter’s Australian Party 1, 2 vacancies. Senate: Coalition (Liberal-Nationals) 30, Labor 24, Greens 11, Independents 6, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation 2, Jacqui Lambie Network 1, United Australia Party 1.
Regional marginal seats NSW: Calare, Cowper, Gilmore, Hunter, Paterson, Robertson, Shortland. Vic: Casey, Indi, McEwan, Monash, Wannon. Qld: Blair, Flynn, Leichhardt, Longman. WA: Bullwinkel (new seat with rural areas), Durack, Forrest. Tas: Bass, Lyons. NT: Lingiari.
The trivia The Australian Electoral Commission runs the election and has recruited more than 100,000 temporary workers to staff more than 7000 polling stations containing more than 80,000 ballot boxes. The staff need 240,000 vests, and the boxes need 250,000 pencils and 250,000 pieces of string – presumably to make sure we don’t souvenir those pencils.
Bathurst Regional Council has closed six cemeteries to burials while it figures out if it can afford to run them.
The cash-strapped council, which cancelled its winter festival recently because of financial concerns, has facilitated burials at the cemeteries for 20 years, and relied on community volunteers to maintain them.
The council has since found it needs to meet regulations that include full surveys of the cemeteries and basic maintenance it says it can’t afford. More than 10,000 people have signed a petition against the closures.
A central Qld farming couple has developed technology that allows robots to spray crops and mow fields 24 hours a day.
Andrew and Jocie Bate have spent more than a decade developing a fleet of lightweight autonomous robots to replace traditional heavy tractors on their 4000ha Gindi property.
Although GPS systems have helped farmers for years, the Bates believe they have developed a world-first autofill system that lets the robots continue their work around the clock.
Brooke Kinsela comes from Canowindra, rural NSW. She left home after school to study science at ANU in Canberra, then completed honours in medical research and is now doing her PhD on brain cancer. “I couldn’t have completed my education without CEF,” Brooke says. “The financial support I received allowed me to focus on my studies to get where I am today.” Read more about the young people supported by the CEF across regional Australia.
Rebecca Starling’s journey from corporate life in London to planting a flower farm on SA’s Limestone Coast is told in Galah Issue 12, our Earth issue. To celebrate Mother's Day, every copy of Issue 12 will be wrapped and delivered with a packet of @starlingflowers_ chocolate lace flower seeds, a beautiful brown-paper package all tied up with string, while stocks last. Unfortunately we can’t send the seeds to Tasmania, WA or the NT. Read more
All roads lead to Armidale for the Galah Regional Photography Prize party at NERAM on Friday. The 42 finalists are being exhibited now, and voting for the $2000 People’s Choice Award won’t close until the day of the party, where all the winners will be announced.
The second episode of Galah's new podcast is out. Episode 2: The Shrek Effect is about how an amateur musical changed the small town of Mungindi. Find "Galah" on Apple or Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Prepare for three days of oyster tastings, food markets, and foreshore activities that include live music and the Australian Oyster Shucking Championships. It’s the culmination of Rock Oyster Week, which featured eateries and farm gates from Shoalhaven River to Pambula Lake. At Quota Park, Narooma, NSW, 2-4 May. Read more
This touring exhibition drawn from the collections of the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Brett Whiteley Studio features a selection of the renowned artist’s paintings, sculptures, photography and ceramics. At Orange Regional Gallery, NSW, until 9 June. Read more
The Farm Margaret River in WA has opened applications for its 2026 artist-in-residence program, a chance for those working across visual disciplines to develop projects that engage with place, ecology and community. The program offers a $7500 residency fee, studio accommodation and initial travel support. Applications close 2 June. Read more
Award-winning Irish writer Colum McCann joins Byron Writers Festival for an exclusive evening of storytelling to discuss his latest novel, Twist. At A&I Hall, Bangalow, NSW, 7 May. Read more
The Victorian town of Trentham spends a weekend celebrating the humble potato, including a street fair packed with spuds, live music and local artisans. At Trentham, Vic, 3-4 May. Read more
Twins John and Bruce Simpson were always close, but their careers took entirely different paths. John, who describes himself as a city person, started in journalism before a career in energy, then education governance led him to a role as a deputy chancellor at Monash University. Bruce was more attracted to rural life and moved to Deniliquin in the NSW Riverina, where he and his wife Shandra farmed and raised two children, Charlie and Lucy.
Bruce died early last year from anaphylaxis after being attacked by a swarm of wasps. John tells why the family decided to create a lasting legacy in honour of his brother’s work in rural advocacy by creating the Bruce Simpson Rural Scholarship through the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation.
Tell us a little about Bruce.
We had the same upbringing but Bruce was interested in farming and rural life and trained as an agronomist. His wife had grown up on a farm in the Riverina and together they bought their own irrigation property near Deniliquin. Bruce also worked as an agribusiness consultant and served on numerous boards and committees, including Murray Irrigation Ltd.
What about his advocacy work?
He was pragmatic and a “can do”’ person and was very motivated to work for individuals and the community. He was a great communicator with people in government but he was always surprised, even appalled, at their lack of knowledge about rural Australia.
Why does the rural leadership program matter?
Bruce had strong views about how important it is to develop leadership in rural communities and for young people to get the chance to realise their potential. He’d done an Australian Rural Leadership Foundation program 25 years ago and knew how it could help people to step up.
Why the scholarship?
It was important for us to honour Bruce’s life in a way that would have meant something to him. The ARLF has been going for more than 30 years and what they do is impressive. It’s critical we can connect all Australians to the issues affecting rural communities and these programs give people the skills to do it.
How has it progressed?
We undertook to raise $2 million to create a perpetual scholarship and to offer at least one scholarship a year. We’ve only just started but already have about $700,000 pledged and will award the first scholarship later this year. Both Charlie and Lucy are involved and will be part of the selection committee. We think the award captures what Bruce was about: decency, courage, tireless leadership.
An Australian sport that has its origins in tests of skill between outback stockmen returns to the northern NSW town of Tenterfield next weekend to mark 140 years of organised competitions.
The first official campdrafting competition was held in Tenterfield in 1885. It’s a contest where riders must cut out one beast from a herd of cattle and show they can control it.
Tenterfield Show Society campdrafting organiser Emily Rhodes said one of the original competitors, Clarence Smith, had formalised competition rules in the 19th century. Two of Smith’s great grandchildren will be part of celebrations that start at dinner on Friday and include competitions involving hundreds of riders next Saturday and Sunday, 3-4 May.
We’d love to hear about the news, events and people that should be making the headlines in the Galah Weekly newsletter. Share what’s new(s) in your neck of the woods with us at newsie@galahpress.com
