Polling Opens in Crucial Farrer By-Election
Polls have opened in a significant by-election in regional Australia, regarded as a key measure of the right-wing populist One Nation party's electoral support. The party aims to secure its first federal lower house seat through this contest.
The by-election in Farrer, a large regional electorate in New South Wales, was prompted by the resignation of Sussan Ley. Ley stepped down following her removal as leader of the opposition conservative Liberal Party after serving nine months in that role.
Although the Liberals have nominated a candidate to succeed Ley, opinion polls indicate a potentially close race between local independent Michelle Milthorpe and One Nation candidate David Farley.
Voting booths will close at 18:00 local time (09:00 BST) on Saturday, with results expected soon after.
Candidates and Electoral Background
Michelle Milthorpe, a local teacher, finished second in the two-candidate preferred count at last year's federal election against Ley, who recorded her lowest result as a sitting MP since first winning the seat in 2001.
Australia employs a preferential voting system where voters rank candidates from most to least preferred. The final count is determined by a two-candidate preferred tally after distributing preferences.
While the outcome of the by-election will not impact the Labor government's substantial majority, it could result in the election of the first One Nation MP to Australia's national parliament.
Significance for One Nation Party
This by-election represents the first federal test of One Nation's support following the party's strong performance in the South Australian state election in March, where it secured the second-highest number of votes among all political parties—its best electoral showing to date.
One Nation has never previously won a federal lower house seat. In the late 1990s, party leader Pauline Hanson initially held a seat as an independent before losing re-election. She later returned to parliament as a senator.
The party selected David Farley, former CEO of the Australian Agricultural Company, a major beef producer, as its candidate for Farrer.
In a campaign video shared on social media, Farley expressed his disillusionment with major parties:
"I had lost a bit of faith in the major parties. They say one thing to your face and then go and do something else in parliament."
Electorate Profile and Political Context
Farrer covers 127,000 square kilometers (49,000 square miles), an area larger than South Korea, encompassing regional centers such as Albury, Griffith, and Deniliquin. Historically, the seat has been held exclusively by the Liberal or National parties.
Saturday's election could mark the first time in a federal election that neither of the two major parties—Labor and the Liberal-National Coalition—appears in the two-candidate preferred count. Notably, Labor is not contesting this by-election.
This election also serves as the first electoral test for the new leaders of the Liberal and National parties, Angus Taylor and Matt Canavan, respectively. Taylor replaced Ley as Liberal leader in February, while Canavan succeeded David Littleproud as National leader in March.
The Liberal-National coalition experienced its worst defeat in last year's federal election and has since faced internal conflicts and declining poll numbers.
