Australian far-right party wins first lower house seat

"Preliminary results showed its candidate, David Farley, was on track to win 59.1%, defeating the incumbent center-right Liberal Party by a wide margin. It marks the first time One Nation has won a lower house seat in the federal parliament. Farley, a former agribusiness executive, was the clear favorite heading into the contest for Farrer, a large agricultural electorate some 550 kilometers (340 miles) south of Sydney."

"The seat was left vacant when former Liberal leader Sussan Ley resigned in February as her party slumped in the polls behind One Nation. Farley's main rival, popular independent Michelle Milthorpe, was trailing in second place with around 40%, while the Liberal candidate Raissa Butkowski had around 11%, according to the ABC. The ruling Labor Party did not contest the seat, which is considered unwinnable for a left-leaning candidate."

"Farley told cheering supporters: "We're like a mason with a chisel and a hammer, and we're carving the letters into the Australian democracy," Farley told cheering supporters. "One Nation is at the end of its beginning we are going through the ceiling," he said, pledging to bring down the cost of living."

"One Nation was founded nearly 30 years ago by Pauline Hanson, who has long advocated for cuts to immigration. She is one of four senators from One Nation in the upper house. Hanson was widely condemned after she wore a burqa in parliament last year as part of her push to ban the face coverings [FILE: November 2025]"

A by-election in the rural seat of Farrer was won by One Nation, with preliminary results showing David Farley on track for 59.1% and a large margin over the incumbent center-right Liberal Party. The victory marked the first time One Nation won a lower house seat in federal parliament. The seat became vacant after former Liberal leader Sussan Ley resigned in February amid polling declines. Farley, a former agribusiness executive, was the clear favorite. Michelle Milthorpe, an independent, trailed in second place, while the Liberal candidate received about 11%. Labor did not contest the seat, and the result did not change Labor’s lower house majority of 94 of 150 seats.

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