One Nation wins first-ever federal seat in Australian parliament

International

AUSTRALIA’S One Nation party has secured its first seat in the federal lower house, marking a major milestone for the right wing populist party.

According to a BBC report, One Nation candidate David Farley won the election in Farrer with a little over 57 percent of the vote after preferences were counted. Independent candidate Michelle Milthorpe finished with about 43 percent. The seat became vacant after former opposition leader Sussan Ley stepped down following leadership changes within the Liberal Party.

While the result will not affect the Labor government’s strong majority, it signals growing support for smaller parties and a shift in voter trust away from Australia’s traditional political groups.

The Farrer seat is a large rural electorate covering around 127,000 square kilometres and includes towns such as Albury, Griffith, and Deniliquin. It has long been held by either the Liberal or National parties.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson called the victory a turning point for the party and said it planned to contest more seats in future elections.

Winning candidate David Farley said many voters feel frustrated with major parties, saying they often fail to deliver on campaign promises once in office.

The election also comes during a period of leadership changes and internal challenges for the opposition parties, which have been struggling with poor election results and internal divisions since the last federal election.(Georgia Olivar, USJ-R Comm Intern)