One Nation won Farrer. Winning over Farrer is another matter

David Farley and Pauline Hanson on election night when One Nation claimed the seat of Farrer. (AAP: Bianca De Marchi) Link copiedShareShare articleAs One Nation continues to surge in the polls, voters in Farrer are waiting to see if their newly elected MP has the party power to deliver on his promises. The 2026 Farrer by-election sounded a warning for the country's major parties after One Nation's David Farley wrenched the seat from the Coalition's historic grasp. Many in the sprawling southern NSW rural electorate who voted for him were fed up with politicians and their rhetoric, and say they simply felt ignored and forgotten. If elected, Mr Farley promised to bring about new water policy, along with changes to electricity, immigration, liquid energy and health. But with the polling booths long packed up and the gaze of the nation's media turned away, those voters are waiting to see if taking a chance on One Nation will pay off. Voters in Griffith cast their votes for the 2026 Farrer by-election. (ABC News: Nicola Ceccato) David Farley walks the halls of Canberra's Parliament House as one of only two One Nation lower house MPs. Australian National University political associate professor Jill Sheppard says Mr Farley won't have any real power in parliament, but can be influential nonetheless. Like many Australians, Jill Sheppard is One Nation-curious. (ABC News: Erin Somerville) "Even though he's not being consulted on legislation and he's not in the room that's making decisions on behalf of the government, using that to bring attention to Farrer and its issues I think could be really beneficial," she said. "David Farley can talk about issues that someone like Sussan Ley wasn't able to because she was constrained by being a member of the parliamentary Liberal party." Speaking exclusively to the ABC on Friday, Mr Farley admitted he accidentally sided with the Greens and teal MPs in a controversial vote to cap fuel tax credit rebates for large mining companies. David Farley settles into his Albury office. (ABC News: Erin Somerville) He said it was not what his constituents would have wanted and assured them it would not happen again. "The reality is you have got to own the mistake, manage the mistake and move on," he said. "We can't live and die off one mistake." He said he had sought to correct his vote with the Clerk of the House of Representatives after the divisions. This week he also voted alongside Greens and teals on a failed motion, by Kooyong MP Monique Ryan, to pursue further gambling reforms. He said constituents should have confidence in his performance as a One Nation MP, despite his rookie errors. "I can tell you the dust is off already and we are moving on, we have got an agenda we want to prosecute across the parliament," he said. Mr Farley said while he supported all of One Nation's policies, he hoped to build support with the Coalition, crossbench and even the Labor government. "What we are seeing in Farrer is very common to other electorates on both sides of the border," he said. "We are prepared to bring the solutions, we just need the government to act on those solutions." But there is a lot of pressure riding on him. David Farley promised a lot during his campaign in the Farrer by-election. (ABC: Philippe Perez) Mr Farley's win is seen as a litmus test for the future of One Nation in Australia as it shifts from the Senate to the policy-building lower house. "On the one hand, they do have to compete with the big boys and girls in Canberra who have a lot more money, but on the other hand, it does mean that they are not outsiders anymore, they're going to look more like insiders. "And a lot of One Nation voters right now are voting for the party because they don't like those insiders." Louise Burge had always voted for the Coalition, until this year. (ABC News: Erin Somerville) Water was the main issue that helped One Nation float to the top in Farrer. Mr Farley's campaign centred on a promise to scrap water buybacks, a legislative move that's impossible without support from Labor and the Greens. Louise Burge is frustrated by how the Murray-Darling Basin is managed. (ABC News: Erin Somerville) Having turned her back on the Coalition, Deniliquin farmer Lisa Burge has new-found optimism as she surveys her winter crop. Ms Burge lost valuable crops and livestock during the 2016 floods and again in 2022. After that, she lost faith in the major political parties. Andrew and Louise Burge lost livestock during the floods of 2016. (ABC News: John Gunn) As vice chair of the Murray Regional Strategy Group, she blamed the floods on decades of water mismanagement in the Murray Darling Basin. "With political deals there are winners and losers, and the seat of Farrer was a loser," she said. Winter rain soaks Louise Burge's crops. (ABC News: Erin Somerville) She was so fed up, she signed on as a One Nation party member and publicly threw her support behind its candid

One Nation won Farrer. Winning over Farrer is another matter

Key takeaways

More in international