Victorian food-bowl seat up for grabs in three-way fight over water and jobs

Tuna is the daughter of Turkish migrants who came to work on the fruit farms. She works with the marginalised and disenfranchised in the division of Nicholls. Her town, Mooroopna, is on the outskirts of Shepparton (population 60,000), the largest centre in the seat.

Water management and the Murray-Darling Basin Plan are significant for the small and large agricultural, horticultural and processing businesses in the area. For employers, labour is a critical issue after two years of closed borders, while pay and conditions occupy the minds of the workers.

The food processing industry has attracted greater cultural diversity than the average rural seat. There is a strong refugee community in Shepparton, following previous waves of migrants, attracted to fruit-picking work. That also means it has a significant temporary resident population, locked out of most government services and voting.

Nicholls has a margin of 20%; it is the sixth-safest seat in the country. But the current National party MP, Damien Drum, is retiring. That means, under the rules of the Coalition partnership, the Nationals and the Liberals can run against each other. And Nicholls is not a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National party; it was held by the Liberal MP Sharman Stone for 20 years.

While Priestly presents like a teal independent, he is not a Voices For candidate. There is a Voices For Nicholls organisation but that group has not endorsed any candidates. Priestly says he was inspired to run as an alternative to the major parties and to get change on water management, climate change transition and federal integrity.

Brooks will oppose the removal of the 450GL of extra water promised to South Australia as part of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

Guardian Australia visited Nicholls in the first week of the campaign. Anthony Albanese had just fluffed the national employment and cash rate numbers and the story was at the top of the news bulletins for the days we were there. The voters we spoke to were a mix of those we approached on the street or dropped in to visit.

David Jacotine, a meat buyer, was having lunch outside the Kyabram bakery. The biggest issue for him is water.

He thought Sharman Stone was a good Liberal member but he thinks Birrell will win.

Notwithstanding the current low unemployment rate, Matt thought jobs were the biggest issue in his area as he wanted to see the town grow.

If water and jobs remain front of mind, concerns over health services are a close second. Health services are a major employer in Nicholls but have come under severe pressure during the pandemic. Sheed said the Shepparton hospital is short 80 doctors. Getting to see a doctor is a big issue in Nicholls.

Fazela Abbasi, 26, is a family support specialist at Save The Children. She is the daughter of an Afghani Hazara refugee, who came to Australia in 1999. Like many adult children of refugees, she remains essential to her non-English speaking parents to navigate health and other government services.

David Andrews is a former shearer and wool presser from Tongala. Now he collects trolleys. He was a lifelong Labor voter who is considering changing to the United Australia party.

Habiba Ibrahimi, 25, is a coordinator for the La Trobe Bradford Shepparton pathway program to help year 12 students transition to university. She is looking for leadership.

While he thought Albanese was a gentleman, he did not consider him a good politician.