Rural Independents Threaten NSW Coalition Power

(L-R) Colin Spicer, Orange independent MP Philip Donato, and Doug Spicer, with guide dog Rusty at Orange train station in the Central West region of New South Wales, March 6, 2023. Mr Donato was one of three rural MPs to quit the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party in 2022 to run as an independent. AAP Image/Stephanie Gardiner

On a hot and windy day weeks out from the New South Wales (NSW) election, Orange independent MP Philip Donato meets a group of retirees and a guide dog named Rusty.

Standing on the town’s single train platform, the rail action group is pushing for more services between Sydney and the growing regional centre in the state’s central west.