Coalition parties preference One Nation over independent in Farrer by‑election

In the southern New South Wales electorate of Farrer, where a by‑election is scheduled for 9 May 2026 following the resignation of the previous member, the Liberal and National parties have formally announced that their voters will be instructed to place the One Nation candidate ahead of the independent contender in the distribution of preferences, a decision that effectively reshapes the final tally in a contest already reduced to four principal aspirants.

The two individuals most frequently identified as having a realistic prospect of securing the seat are the independent Michelle Milthorpe, whose community‑based campaign has attracted a modest share of primary votes, and David Farley of One Nation, whose relatively modest but growing regional profile positions him as a viable challenger amidst the fragmented field.

By electing to direct their preferences toward the far‑right party rather than the independent, the coalition partners ostensibly prioritize ideological alignment over the expressed will of voters who, according to preliminary counts, have already signalled a desire for an alternative to the traditional two‑party dominance, thereby exposing a procedural inconsistency that has long been criticised by advocates of electoral reform.

The strategic calculus behind the preference deal, which was formalised shortly after the vacancy was declared, suggests that both the Liberal and National executives anticipate that allocating votes to One Nation may suppress the independent’s momentum while preserving a semblance of competition, a maneuver that underlines the systemic capacity of the preferential voting system to amplify minor party influence at the expense of genuine voter intent.

Observers note that such preferential arrangements, while perfectly legal under the current electoral framework, repeatedly generate outcomes in which candidates who did not secure the plurality of first‑preference ballots ultimately attain the seat, thereby reinforcing critiques that the system privileges party negotiations over transparent democratic choice.

Published: April 21, 2026