Will she, or won't she? Helen Dalton breaks her silence

In Short

• The Federal Vacuum: Following Sussan Ley’s resignation after losing the Liberal leadership, the seat of Farrer is headed for a high-stakes by-election.
• Dalton’s Dilemma: Member for Murray Helen Dalton confirms she is being urged to run for the federal seat but is weighing whether she can best serve the region in State or Federal politics.
• Rural Representation: Dalton argues the groundswell of support proves rural Australians feel ignored by major parties and are demanding a stronger, independent voice.

Member for Murray Helen Dalton has responded to calls to leave state politics behind and run for the federal seat of Farrer.

The Farrer electorate will head into a by-election, following the removal of incumbent Sussan Ley MP as the leader of the opposition and her resignation announcement earlier today.

“My mobile has been burning up since Sussan announced she was leaving politics,” Ms Dalton said.

“I will listen to what the people of Farrer have to say about the Federal by-election.”

“I understand that the people of my region want their voices to be heard and whatever I decide to do, I will be doing it to make sure their voices are a lot louder.”

“While the calls for me to run are heartfelt, I need to make sure that whatever I do, that it will give the people of my region the best possible representation.”

“That might be in Federal politics or it might be in State politics.

“This news is only a few hours old and I have some serious thinking to do.

“What this does show is that people in rural Australia do not feel like they are being properly represented by their political leaders.”

“To me, that is the take home message of this moment.

“Rural Australians are the heart and soul of this country and yet we continue to be ignored by State and Federal Governments.

“For now, I will continue to talk to the people in my region to get a better gauge of what they want.”

Mrs Dalton paid tribute to Ms Ley and wished her all the best for the future after 25 years representing the Farrer electorate.

“I thought Sussan’s exit speech was elegant and heartfelt, given she has had a very tough time in politics as Opposition Leader.

“Sussan gave the electorate everything she could and that’s important. I sincerely wish her all the best.”