David Farley's historic win for One Nation at the Farrer by-election in early-May sent shock waves through federal politics, especially the major parties.
Observers now see One Nation's management of the electorate - and the way the major parties respond - as a model on how the next federal election could be fought, amid a surge of support for the Pauline Hanson-led populists in national polls.
Mr Farley's presence in Farrer's major centres of Albury and Griffith, and his visits to the regional communities of the once safe Liberal electorate, have been noticed by politicians at a local level, according to Albury City Mayor Kevin Mack.
He says the increased scrutiny on the region has lit a fire under some local councillors.
"I'm seeing politicians going to the opening of envelopes," Mr Mack said.
"They seem to be going to things I'm not going to, which I didn't know existed. They seem to be creating their own opportunities."
The shift in approach from established politicians from major parties was a natural result when threatened by a rise from smaller ones, according to Australian National University political scientist Jill Sheppard.
"The great virtue of Australian politics is that we have stability, but the price of stability is the parties tend to get a bit lazy," Dr Sheppard said.
"For a normal voter who is just hoping life can feel a little bit better, that's not always very satisfying. ... I suspect that there will be some kind of ripple effect from Albury."
However, Mr Mack said he was yet to see the extra attention transform into more tangible support for Albury or Wodonga, which he said had plenty of issues worth advocating for.
Instead, One Nation has made headlines for its conduct and commentary this week.
Senator Hanson's holiday in Europe with Australia's richest person Gina Rinehart, her appearance on a podcast hosted by a far-right activist in the UK, and her comments on domestic violence prompted swift condemnation from the major parties.
MP Barnaby Joyce's outburst on ABC's 7.30 on Monday night, when he yelled at his dog during an answer about the actions of his leader, added fuel to the fire, along with the re-emergence of controversial comments by Senator Malcolm Roberts including suggestions some COVID-19 deaths were staged.
Dr Sheppard said the impact of these incidents on voters was unclear but contributed to Australia's normalisation of scandalous politics, already seen internationally.
"In Australia we've been the last to catch this disease because of compulsory voting," she said.
"That mire at the moment is bad enough that a few scandals don't seem to be upsetting voters. I think as much as anything, that's on the major parties who have let us become so complacent and have become so complacent themselves."
She said this complacency had gone so far that shouting at a dog during an interview had become a "refreshing point of difference" and not something to be concerned about.
Labor and the Liberals have ramped up efforts to discredit the populist party in the wake of these controversies.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took aim at One Nation during his speech to the Labor conference on Thursday, suggesting "none of them have anything new or anything positive to offer our country".
Speaking in Sydney earlier in the week, Liberal Leader Angus Taylor said that "One Nation is a one-person show, not fit to govern, that will take us into an economic crisis, will worsen the economic crisis".
With increased attention on One Nation rocking boat in Canberra, Dr Sheppard said voters now don't trust politicians enough to turn off from politics between elections.
"Which means that for a lot of us, we'll see and hear from politicians over the next 18 months much more than we used to," Dr Sheppard said.
It's a feeling resonating in Albury.
"The average voter in this country, and I mean this with absolute respect, is angry at the sitting parties. Angry and they don't know why," Mr Mack said.
"You haven't seen a great headline about Albo or anyone in the political sphere in this country for a long time."
"I don't think you should ever go to a supermarket when you're hungry, and when you're angry, you don't read the media. You just read the media you want to read or believe."
