When Griffith voters were asked what the most important election issue was for them, the answer was almost unanimous.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
"Water."
When The Area News hit the street to talk with voters, water was the number one burning election issue on everyone's lips.
For most people, whether or not Griffith prospered or perished came down to water allocation or lack thereof.
That was certainly the view of Griffith farmer Shane Singh, who said he was struggling to cope with the rising cost of water.
"Water is getting taken away from the area and that's hurting us," Mr Singh said.
"The water getting so expensive, and it's all costing us money and it's making it hard."
The threat of more water buybacks weighed heavily in the minds of Griffith voters, even those not directly in the farming business.
That was true of the Young family, who are not farmers themselves, but know people who are.
Ash Young said she was deeply concerned about her farmer parents-in-law, who were feeling the pinch of zero water allocations.
"For us, water allocation for farmers is the most important issue," Mrs Young said.
"It's all going to South Australia, and not to NSW."
Matt Young said he mostly slept through the state election and had left all the complex politics to his wife.
While water may have dominated the political discussion, there were other pressing election issues.
For Jeremy Reid, the thing that got him over the line was the $250 Regional Seniors Travel Card promised by The Nationals.
"The senior's travel card seems like it would be great for my people like my parents," Jeremy said.
His dad, Ronald Reid, said the travel card would give him and his wife more freedom of movement.
"It'd be great to get that card, because it would help so much with petrol," Ronald said.
He added that the redevelopment of Griffith Base Hospital was another vote-winner for him and his family.
Anthea Doux Fleur she did not know who she would put first on the ballot box, but she knew who she would putting last.
"I'm not voting for One Nation," she said.
"Our country is built on immigration and multiculturalism; there's no point in even denying it these days."
She said she was particularly chilled by comments made by Senator Fraser Anning, as well as Pauline Hanson's refusal to censure him in parliament.
"Pauline Hanson deserves a few eggs," she said.
Voters will have a brief moment of reprieve before diving back in to the Federal election, where the topic of water will be revisited.
***
While you're with us, did you know that you can now receive updates straight to your inbox every Monday at 6am from The Area News? To make sure you're up to date with all the Griffith and MIA news you can sign up here.