Oz's One Nation scores historic win

Agencies

Canberra 

One Nation has won its first-ever lower-house seat in what is being seen as an important test for the right-wing populist party. With almost all the votes counted, One Nation candidate David Farley won over 57% of the tally in Farrer, a vast regional constituency in New South Wales, with independent candidate Michelle Milthorpe on almost 43%.

The contest was triggered by the resignation of Sussan Ley, who quit when she was ousted as leader of the Opposition conservative Liberal Party. While the result will not affect the Labor government majority, it is a clear sign that voters are moving away from traditional political parties in Australia.

Saturday's poll was the first federal test of the support of One Nation after the party recorded the second-highest number of votes out of any political party in the South Australian state election in March 2026. As news of the victory emerged, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson told supporters this was not just a win for Farrer, but a win for Australia, and said the party was "coming after those other seats."

Farley, whose background is in agribusiness, told supporters One Nation had "reached the end of its beginning, we're going through the ceiling." He added, "What are we doing tonight? We're like a mason, with a chisel, and a hammer and we're re-carving the letters into the Australian democracy."

Australia has a preferential voting system where voters rank candidates from their most to least preferred.