Darren Connelly is sitting at his cluttered kitchen table, a 24-hour news channel paused on the TV in the living room.
asserted
Connelly → sit → room
Aged in his 60s, he's joined a political party for the first time in his life and thrown his support behind One Nation.
"
asserted
he → age → Nation
They could put a blue heeler as the candidate, and I'd still vote for them."
uncertain
I → put → them
The earthmoving operator and former president of the local racing club says he typically voted for the Coalition, and once for Shooters, Fishers and Farmers when gun control was on the agenda.
asserted
control → say → agenda
But he's had enough.
asserted
he → have → enough
"You've got shiny arse-polish bloody professional politicians.
asserted
You → get → politicians
They say one thing and do another," he says.
asserted
he → say → another
His hometown of Kerang sits in the Murray Plains electorate, in northern Victoria, which has been a Nationals stronghold since the 1980s.
asserted
which → sit → 1980s
The local member is retiring at the November state election after 24 years.
asserted
member → retire → years
The town itself has seen plenty of change in that time.
asserted
town → see → time
Jobs in agriculture and food manufacturing have declined in the fallout of federal water reform, and now land once home to family farms hosts solar, wind and battery projects.
asserted
land → decline → projects
Mr Connelly wants to "turn the clock way back" and sees the election as his chance.
asserted
Connelly → want → chance
"The others need to be taught a lesson," he says.
"
asserted
he → need → lesson
Get rid of the bloody bureaucracy."
The race is on
Kerang is a short drive from the NSW border where earlier this year David Farley became One Nation's first federal MP at the Farrer by-election.
Bright yellow pockets of canola indicate harvest is a few months away, and worn roads crumble in more places than 'rough surface' warnings can alert weary drivers to.
The state seat of Murray Plains stretches more than 200 kilometres along the Murray River from Swan Hill to Echuca and Kyabram.
asserted
seat → rid → Echuca
Gannawarra Shire mayor Garner Smith is the candidate One Nation hopes will wrest the seat from the Coalition.
asserted
Nation → hop → Coalition
Up until now, he's been linked with the National Party as an electorate officer and ministerial adviser for two Nationals politicians and as a Young Nationals state president.
asserted
he → link → president
The ABC approached One Nation to request an interview with Cr Smith but were told only written answers to questions were being provided.
The party did not provide responses to those questions.
asserted
party → approach → questions
Cr Smith told a council meeting this week he would step aside as mayor on September 30 and ask for his council allowance to be suspended, though he will remain a councillor to avoid leaving the council "unacceptably thin".
asserted
he → tell → council
John Forrest, former long-serving Nationals MP for the federal seat, is on the committee of the Swan Hill Neighbourhood House.
asserted
Forrest → serve → House
He's glaring across a table at the party's candidate for Murray Plains, Brett Hosking.
asserted
He → glare → Plains
"You'll be battling to hold this seat," Mr Forrest warns.
asserted
Forrest → battle → seat
"There's no such thing as a safe seat, let me assure you.
asserted
me → be → you
And that's the reason why Hanson's getting so much popularity, because they're really cheesed off; they've been neglected for too long."
asserted
they → get → popularity
Mr Forrest criticises Mr Hosking for turning up without his "chequebook open" and calls the meeting a "publicity stunt" for the ABC, which has been invited to attend the neighbourhood house for this story.
asserted
which → criticise → story
Neighbourhood houses across Victoria are campaigning for more funding from the state government.
asserted
houses → campaign → government
The community spaces provide programs and services such as food relief, transport and social events.
asserted
spaces → provide → relief
A funding shortfall has forced the Swan Hill Neighbourhood House to close each Friday after years of operating five days a week.
asserted
shortfall → force → days
Co-manager Sarina Kelly tells Mr Hosking the major parties have failed them.
asserted
parties → tell → them
"There's 400 houses all doing amazing things to support their communities and over half of them are struggling to keep the lights on," she says.
asserted
she → be → lights
Mr Hosking is a fifth-generation mixed farmer who's recently stepped down as the president of the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF).
asserted
who → step → Federation
"Full disclosure, I can't go home at night without fighting for it," he says.
"
asserted
he → go → it
We have a plan to make sure communities are supported, rural Victoria is supported, and I will fight hard for that."
asserted
I → have → that
Mr Hosking says he doesn't see Murray Plains as a safe Nationals seat.
asserted
he → say → seat
"I see it as something that I've got to earn," he says.
asserted
he → see → that
"Every election, every person who lives in our community should make a decision about what's important to them, what their values are and how they want to be represented.
asserted
they → live → them
'Confronting' change
Ash and Bec Marshall are grain growers in Normanville, just south of Kerang.
asserted
Ash → confront → Kerang
Their family home is an island among crops as far as the eye can see.
But there are plans for wind turbines the size of skyscrapers here.
asserted
eye → see → skyscrapers
At the kitchen table, Bec points out their farming properties on a printed map.
asserted
Bec → point → map
Highlighted areas show an approved wind farm to the immediate north of their home, and two others proposed to the south and north-west.
asserted
others → show → south
Ash draws a line to show roughly where the VNI West transmission line is set to cut through one of their smaller properties, as it carries power between NSW and Victoria.
asserted
it → draw → NSW
…and 35 more, not listed.
The Aporia
