Australia’s One Nation secured a landmark victory at a rural by-election, taking a lower house seat long held by conservatives. Preliminary counts showed One Nation candidate David Farley on track to win about 59.1% of the vote in Farrer, a largely agricultural electorate roughly 550 kilometers (340 miles) south of Sydney.
If confirmed, the result would mark the first time One Nation has won a seat in the federal lower house. Farley, a former agribusiness executive and the clear favorite entering the contest, celebrated the win and vowed to tackle the cost of living.
The vacancy in Farrer followed the February resignation of former Liberal leader Sussan Ley. Independent Michelle Milthorpe trailed in second place with around 40% of the vote, while the Liberal candidate Raissa Butkowski polled near 11%, according to the ABC. The ruling Labor Party did not field a candidate in the contest, viewing the seat as unwinnable for a left-leaning contender.
One Nation, founded almost three decades ago by Pauline Hanson, has long campaigned for reduced immigration and other nationalist policies. Hanson, who leads the party in the Senate where One Nation holds four seats, called the by-election outcome “a win for Farrer but a bigger win for the nation.”
The victory does not change the federal balance of power: Labor retains a comfortable lower-house majority, holding 94 of 150 seats.
Liberal leader Angus Taylor said the result offered “hard lessons” for his party, which has been competing with One Nation for second place in national polls. The Farrer outcome comes amid a broader surge in support for far-right parties in parts of the world, with recent setbacks for Britain’s governing party at local elections and strong polling for Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) in some regional contests.
The by-election result will draw attention to debates over immigration, regional concerns and the shifting dynamics of Australia’s conservative vote as parties assess their strategies ahead of future federal contests.