2026 Farrer by-election
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Division of Farrer (NSW) in the House of Representatives | |||
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 The Division of Farrer in New South Wales | |||
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A by-election for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Farrer will take place sometime in 2026, following the announced resignation of former opposition leader and incumbent Liberal Party MP Sussan Ley.[1][2]
It will be the first by-election since the 2025 federal election, and the fifth during Anthony Albanese's tenure as prime minister.
Background
Pending resignation
A leadership spill of the Liberal party room was held on 13 February 2026, where Sussan Ley was defeated by Angus Taylor 34 votes to 17 for the leadership of the party.[3] Following the defeat, Ley fronted a press conference where she announced that she would resign from parliament "in the next couple of weeks".[4]
Seat details
Farrer is located in the far south-western area of New South Wales and includes the towns of Albury, Corowa, Narrandera, Leeton, Griffith, Deniliquin, Hay, Balranald and Wentworth. The seat has historically been a safe Liberal seat since Ley first won it in 2001, though the Liberal Party suffered a 10% swing against it on the two-candidate preferred vote against an independent candidate in 2025, and won the seat on a reduced margin of 56.19% to 43.81%.[5]
2025 election results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Sussan Ley | 44,743 | 43.41 | −8.85 | |
| Independent | Michelle Milthorpe | 20,567 | 19.96 | +19.96 | |
| Labor | Glen Hyde | 15,551 | 15.09 | −3.90 | |
| One Nation | Emma Hicks | 6,803 | 6.60 | +0.27 | |
| Greens | Richard Hendrie | 5,085 | 4.93 | −4.18 | |
| Shooters, Fishers, Farmers | Peter Sinclair | 3,577 | 3.47 | −1.84 | |
| Trumpet of Patriots | Tanya Hargraves | 2,441 | 2.37 | +2.37 | |
| Family First | Rebecca Scriven | 2,218 | 2.15 | +2.15 | |
| People First | David O'Reilly | 2,078 | 2.02 | +2.02 | |
| Total formal votes | 103,063 | 90.97 | −1.44 | ||
| Informal votes | 10,234 | 9.03 | +1.44 | ||
| Turnout | 113,297 | 91.55 | +2.11 | ||
| Notional two-party-preferred count | |||||
| Liberal | Sussan Ley | 64,812 | 62.89 | −3.46 | |
| Labor | Glen Hyde | 38,251 | 37.11 | +3.46 | |
| Two-candidate-preferred result | |||||
| Liberal | Sussan Ley | 57,916 | 56.19 | −10.16 | |
| Independent | Michelle Milthorpe | 45,147 | 43.81 | +43.81 | |
| Liberal hold | |||||
Candidates
| Party | Candidate | Background | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Michelle Milthorpe | Activist & candidate for Farrer in 2025[7][8] | |
| Family First | Rebecca Scriven | Schoolworker & candidate for Farrer in 2025[9] | |
| Greens | TBA | ||
| Liberal | TBA | ||
| National | TBA | ||
| One Nation | TBA | ||
| People First | TBA | ||
In addition to the Liberal Party, the National Party is expected to contest Farrer for the first time since losing the seat in 2001, with Coalition rules having forbidden the parties from running a candidate in a sitting Coalition MP's seat.[10] One Nation has announced that it will contest the by-election.[11] Family First will run Rebecca Scriven, an independent Christian school worker who ran for the party in 2025.[9] The Greens will contest the by-election.[12] The unregistered Riverina State Party has expressed interest in contesting.[13]
Gerard Rennick People First will contest the by-election.[14]
Michelle Milthorpe was an independent candidate in the 2025 election and was supported by the community group Voices of Farrer and the Climate 200 fundraising organisation.[15]
Helen Dalton, independent state MP for the electoral district of Murray, has been viewed as a potential challenger for the seat, with Dalton claiming that her mobile phone "has been burning up" since Ley's resignation.[16] Dalton has also been approached to run for the seat as a One Nation candidate.[17]
See also
References
- ^ Briggs, Casey (13 February 2026). "Ley leaves Taylor an immediate electoral test with Farrer by-election". ABC News. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ Raue, Ben (13 February 2026). "Farrer by-election coming soon". The Tally Room. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ Michelle Grattan (13 February 2026). "Angus Taylor defeats Sussan Ley by hefty margin of 34–17 as Liberal leader". The Conversation.
- ^ Boscaini, Joshua; Gould, Courtney; Crowley, Tom. "Federal politics live: Angus Taylor overwhelmingly wins Liberal leadership, Sussan Ley to quit politics, setting up by-election". ABC News. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ "Farrer, NSW". aec.gov.au.
- ^ "Farrer, NSW". Australian Electoral Commission. 3 May 2025. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ "Independent Michelle Milthorpe to contests Farrer". Back Country Bulletin. 13 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
- ^ Jacques, Oliver (5 October 2024). "'We deserve more': advocate for child abuse victims to run for seat of Farrer". Region Riverina. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
- ^ a b "Family First announces local mum of four Rebecca Scriven as candidate for Farrer" (Press release). Family First Party. 13 February 2026. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
- ^ "The Coalition to face a messy by-election in Sussan Ley's seat of Farrer". Antony Green's Election Blog. 13 February 2026. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ Hanson, Pauline [@PaulineHansonOz] (13 February 2026). "I want to wish Sussan Ley all the best in her future outside of politics" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026 – via Twitter.
- ^ Cohn, Amanda [@DrAmandaCohn] (13 February 2026). "Albury-Wodonga desperately needs a new hospital on a new site. A by-election in Farrer will shine the national spotlight on our region. This is a huge opportunity, and the Greens are ready" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Sussan Ley? Farrer by-election?". The Riverina State. 13 February 2026. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ Rennick, Gerard [@RennickGBR] (14 February 2026). "People First is still here and we are pleased to announce we are running a candidate in the seat of Farrer. Nominations are now open" (Tweet). Retrieved 2026-02-16 – via Twitter.
- ^ "TEAL DEAL: Billionaire's son joins fight to turn Farrer a new shade of blue". The Border Mail. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
- ^ "Helen Dalton Considers Federal Leap: "My Mobile Has Been Burning Up"". Back Country Bulletin. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ Rowley, Jarryd (16 February 2026). "Dalton approached by One Nation to run for Sussan Ley's federal seat". Region Riverina. Retrieved 16 February 2026.