Australia’s political landscape shifted dramatically on Saturday as One Nation secured a sweeping victory in the Farrer by‑election, marking the first time the party has ever won a seat in the federal Lower House. The ABC’s election analyst Casey Briggs projected the result shortly after 8pm, noting that One Nation candidate David Farley had surged past 40 per cent of the primary vote and was on track to win by roughly nine per cent after preferences.
The win is not only a landslide but a symbolic breakthrough: Farrer, long considered a jewel in the Coalition’s rural heartland, had been held by conservative parties for nearly 80 years. Its loss underscores a dramatic shift in voter sentiment across the region.
Farley said he joined One Nation because he saw it as “a political party of courage and tenacity,” adding that his background in agriculture and community work aligned with what he believes the electorate needs. “People just want change, it’s as simple as that,” he said. He described the victory as the party being “at the end of its beginning,” declaring: “We’re like a mason with a chisel and a hammer, and we’re re‑carving the letters into the Australian democracy.”
Party leader Pauline Hanson celebrated at a jubilant gathering, telling supporters, “We’re coming after those other seats. We are here to represent you, the people, and to get our country back.”
The result marks a significant moment in Australian federal politics, signalling voter frustration in traditional Coalition strongholds and giving One Nation a new foothold in Canberra.
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