NSW Member for Murray Helen Dalton has resigned from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party and plans to stand as an independent candidate in the 2023 state election.
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Mrs Dalton's acrimonious departure from the party that helped her take Murray from the Nationals in 2019 kicked off yesterday with an statement from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers (SFF) leader Robert Borsak.
Mr Borsak stated that Mrs Dalton's position was "no longer tenable" within the SFF party due to her alleged business with the same water trading companies she had criticised under parliamentary privilege, which the party conceded was legal.
Mr Borsak also claimed Mrs Dalton had made "hidden deals" with the Greens for environmental water flows.
Mrs Dalton denied the allegations made by the SFF and said she simply had been willing to talk to any other MPs about water issues.
She also claimed that the SFF had deleted her Facebook page that had about 27,000 followers.
"Of course they will smear me, they are quite vindictive and I feel a release, actually," Mrs Dalton said.
"If I had a dollar for every time somebody said to me 'please run as an independent, we don't want you with that party,' I would be a wealthy person."
Mr Borsak claimed constituents close to Mrs Dalton's office and the SFF "had recognised the inconsistencies between what Helen was saying and doing,"
"This policy of appeasement and dealing with the extreme left flies directly in the face of what SFF stands for and what we promised to do for the people of Murray," Mr Borsak said.
"We wish Helen the best in her career in politics without the party."
Mrs Dalton confirmed to The Daily Advertiser that she had informed the party she would resign and would stand as an independent.
"The reasons why I am leaving are many fold, but last week the lack of support for the disallowance of floodplain harvesting, [the SFF] abstaining from that vote, was very disappointing," Mrs Dalton said.
"This was on the back of lots of other inconsistencies in what they are doing.
"I want to put the Lower Darling communities and the Murray River irrigators first and foremost ... I want to have the freedom to make sure I put my electorate first."
Mrs Dalton said she was confident re-contesting her seat without the support of a party and welcomed any attempt by the Coalition to win by throwing money around.
"I ran as an independent [candidate] in 2015, I did pretty well with no resources and limited time ... I think the people here know that I am advocating very strongly for Murray," she said.
Mrs Dalton said she would be willing to negotiate with NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet to support legislation that would benefit Murray.
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