The opinion polls are saying Rikki-Lee Tyrrell won’t be sitting alone on the cross benches after the next Victorian election.
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But the member of the Victorian Legislative Council said she was not getting overly excited by predictions of increased seats for One Nation.
“When the polls come out and everyone is getting excited, I am not. I always expect the worst, so anything better is a pleasant surprise,” she said.
In her maiden speech to parliament, Ms Tyrrell likened it to herself: “short and punchy”.
She still carries the height reference without shame, but can’t say she has locked horns with anyone over the past four years that has led to a punch.
But the 43-year-old single parent of two does bristle at the suggestion that her party, One Nation, is just a protest party and doesn’t have to stump up any policies.
She points to the party’s published national polices and says state policies will be released once state candidates are endorsed.
She is also quick to list the issues she has taken up on behalf of constituents, including road upgrades, speed limits, the recovery of Barmah firewood for residents and an inquiry into public consultation, which recently reported its findings.
In 2022 the former dairy farmer became the first and only One Nation member of the Victorian parliament.
If she has anything in common with her high-profile party leader, it’s in her occasional colourful and blunt language and her early working life in retail.
Pauline Hanson has famously served up fish and chips. Ms Tyrrell has worked as a cook, a ‘dish pig’, a waitress, a Bega Cheese factory worker and managed property for a real estate company.
She has her Senator Hanson’s number in her phone, but has only felt the need to call her once, on a policy issue she was seeking clarification on.
“There’s no bull**** about her,” Ms Tyrrell said.
“So many politicians dance around the issues. She is straight to it and a lot of people want that.”
Ms Tyrrell was born in Wagga Wagga, lived in Bermagui and the Tallangatta Valley, before moving with her husband to Invergordon on a dairy farm.
The first move to irrigated farming land was an eye-opener and the exasperation of struggling with water issues led to her to look for a party that was an advocate for farmers.
“People are my fuel. I love my community,” she said.
“When we moved into an irrigation area we were struggling with the drought, but it wasn’t until my neighbours were struggling when I snapped into action.
“A friend rang me and told me: ‘I have locked myself in the bathroom, all our cows are on the truck and leaving.’ I felt I had to do something.”
Ms Tyrrell believes the recent polls showing a surge of interest in One nation reflects what is happening on the ground in her electorate.
She saw it coming months ago.
“The support here in Victoria, especially northern Victoria, is overwhelming,” she said.
“At the Elmore Field Days we were run off our feet for the three days.
“They’re sick of the major parties. They’re fed up with not being listened to or being represented. A lot are just fed up.’’
Chief among the issues raised with her were migration and its impact on housing, access to health services and the cost of living.
Her party argues for net zero migration.
“It has to be sustainable,” she said.
“We do need skilled immigration, especially in the northern region for agriculture and health, for example.
“As long as they are bringing a skill to contribute to society and they assimilate to Australian values.”
She said another issue in regional areas was the push for renewables.
“We need reliable, efficient and cheap energy for Victoria,” she said.
“Prematurely shutting down the coal-fired power stations is not the way to go. We need to seriously start looking into nuclear.
“I would be happy to have a nuclear station in my backyard, if I had a big farm.’’
Ms Tyrrell said people were also talking about the Victorian Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund.
She said the interest was also being reflected in the meetings to form new branches of One Nation.
She said anywhere between 100 and 250 people were turning up at initial branch meetings.
In her first campaign, she had just 12 volunteers.
She said she believed she could call on 100 volunteers the next time around.