Michelle Milthorpe Thanks Supporters, Reflects on Campaign of Integrity and Community Backing

Independent candidate for Farrer, Michelle Milthorpe, has expressed deep gratitude to the community for their support during a grassroots campaign driven by integrity, hard work and a commitment to listening.

“This campaign was never about politics-as-usual,” Mrs Milthorpe said in a statement to media.

“We were a novice team, made up of locals who simply care about our community. We stayed positive, stayed focused, and always led with respect.”

With close to 200 volunteers donning their orange shirts, the team letterboxed, doorknocked, and walked thousands of kilometres across the electorate—spreading the message of change, fairness and genuine representation.

“We had a small budget, but a strong community. That’s what powered this campaign. People stood beside me because they want something better for Farrer—not more of the same,” Mrs Milthorpe said.

The campaign faced some clear challenges, including the spread of misinformation and being denied the opportunity to correct the record.

“We ran against a small group who continually circulated misleading claims, particularly around funding. I was fully transparent from the beginning about receiving a donation from Climate 200, and never misrepresented that fact,” Mrs Milthorpe said.

“What’s disappointing is that the same level of scrutiny isn’t applied to major parties and their funding arrangements. I would ask the media to reflect on that and be more objective moving forward.”

Mrs Milthorpe expressed issue with being incorrectly labelled throughout the campaign.

“I ran as an independent, and to repeatedly be referred to in other ways was not only misleading—it was dishonest and insulting. It undermined the intelligence of voters and the integrity of the many hardworking people who supported this campaign.”

Mrs Milthorpe also shared her hope that future vote counts might better reflect the nature of the contest, after Saturday night’s count proceeded using a two-party-preferred (2PP) method, despite earlier advice that it would follow a two-candidate-preferred (2CP) approach.

“It meant that the live results didn’t give a clear picture of the actual contest,” she said.

“I’d like to see more consistency and clarity around how independent candidates are represented in the count—it helps voters better understand what’s really happening.”

Looking to the future, Mrs Milthorpe is hopeful that Farrer will no longer be considered a safe seat, saying that increased competitiveness is essential to securing fairer representation.

“I’d like to thank people for trusting me with their vote. If nothing else, we’ve shown that this electorate can no longer be taken for granted. That alone is a win for our community.”

While no firm decision has been made yet, Mrs Milthorpe is open to standing again.

“This campaign might be over, but I’m not going anywhere. I’ll take some time to reflect, but I will always stand up for Farrer. We deserve better—and I’m here to help us get there.”