One Nation has won the New South Wales seat of Farrer. The by‑election held yesterday was due to the resignation of former Liberal MP Sussan Ley.
It is the first time the party has won a lower‑house seat in the federal parliament at the polls. They also currently hold the NSW seat of New England, which they gained when former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce defected from The Nationals.
David Farley will be the new member. The 69‑year‑old grandfather is an agricultural business consultant and a local resident from the central Riverina town of Narrandera.
Previously, in his role as CEO of the Australian Agricultural Company, one of the country’s largest cattle and beef producers, he argued in favour of skilled migration and foreign investment in Australian industries. During the campaign he said his views had changed and were now in line with the party’s staunch anti‑immigration policy.
Much has been made of Farley’s shifting political allegiances over the decades. It was revealed he sought to run as a Labor candidate in 2022, and in 2025 donated to the campaign of independent Michelle Milthorpe. He was also a member of the National Party for five years.
Farley has assured voters that he will be sticking with One Nation and will not break ranks to become an independent. The party has a long track record of members falling out with leader Pauline Hanson and departing before their terms are up.
The Farrer by‑election saw a 30 per cent swing towards One Nation, and independent candidate Michelle Milthorpe came in second, leaving the traditional conservative parties with little support. The Coalition has held the seat for more than 80 years. Before Sussan Ley, it was the seat of Nationals leader Tim Fischer. Since 1949 the seat has had only four representatives, each enjoying long political careers.
In his acceptance speech, Farley described the win as the “end of the beginning” of the party’s history.
“We’re like a mason with a chisel and a hammer, and we’re re‑carving the letters into the Australian democracy,” he said.
Party leader Pauline Hanson said the party was set to replicate the result across the country at the next federal election.
“We’re coming after those other seats,” she declared. “We’re taking our country back.”
The success in Farrer follows the party winning four lower‑house seats at the South Australian election and three spots in the Legislative Council.
Political analysts have highlighted that the party may need to do much more work to build its support outside regional areas.
The party does not have detailed policy statements, instead campaigning on a series of around 30 broad motherhood statements that usually amount to just a few dot points on each issue — or, in some areas such as health, only a few sentences.
The party has strong positions against immigration, transgender recognition and the current gender‑affirming healthcare model, and has historically opposed marriage equality.
