Why is everyone talking about Farrer?

What is a by-election?

A by-election is held when a member’s seat becomes vacant in the lower house between elections. This could happen for a number of reasons including resignation, retirement, disqualification or death. The voters in the electorate then get to vote again to choose a new representative.

The Speaker – an impartial spokesperson for the house of reps - will determine the date of the by-election and issue a writ. The general principal is to fix a date of a by-election as soon as possible to not leave an electorate without representation. If a federal or state election is approaching, a by-election will often not be called.

Why has this one been called in Farrer?

The Farrer by-election was triggered by the resignation of Sussan Ley, who had served as the member for Farrer since 2001. Ley resigned from politics after she was ousted as leader of the Liberal Party on February 13 2026. Ley had only become leader 9 months prior on May 13th 2025, marking her as the second shortest-serving Liberal leader in the party's history.

The by-election on May 9 will elect a new member for this large rural NSW electorate, filling Ley’s vacant seat in the House of Representatives, and ensuring federal representation for the community.

Why is it getting so much attention?

There is a lot of focus on this particular by-election, which can be quite overwhelming especially if you actually live in Farrer. There are several reasons why:

A safe seat in danger: Farrer has been a safe Coalition seat since it was created in 1949. Under a longstanding no-contest agreement between the Liberal and National parties, the Nationals had not challenged the Liberals here since 2001  – but that agreement doesn’t apply to a vacant seat. Combined with the rise of minor parties and independents, the contest is wide open. It could shape up to be a four-way contest between the Liberals, Nationals, One Nation and Independent Michelle Milthorpe – and with more candidates typically running in a by-election than a general election, there are many more parties competing for both votes and media coverage.

The rise of independents and minor parties: Milthorpe polled strongly at the 2025 federal election, finishing just 6.19% behind Sussan Ley on a two-candidate-preferred basis. Meanwhile, One Nation has been surging in the polls and performed strongly at the recent South Australian election – threatening to split the conservative vote. The result will be closely watched as an indication to the levels of voter dissatisfaction with the major parties.

A test for Angus Taylor: The newly elected Liberal leader faces a battle to get voters back and solidify his leadership.

Labor isn't running a candidate: With little chance of a win in this contest, the Labor party have chosen not to field a candidate (at this stage) and preserve resources.

A single seat by-election, taking place during a period of global political and economic instability, acts as a temperature check on the national mood. Media outlets are pouring more resources into one place that they would normally spread out during a federal election, making Farrer the centre of Australian political attention.

Who can vote in this by-election?

You can only vote in this election if you live and are enrolled in the electorate of Farrer. You can check your enrolment through the AEC. https://check.aec.gov.au/

To learn more about the candidates running at the by-election in Farrer, head to our candidate information page.