‘A Tough Ask’: Coalition Braces For By-election Defeat

The Farrer contest is looming as a showdown between One Nation’s David Farley and independent Michelle Milthorpe.

Senator Pauline Hanson and One Nation candidate, David Farley, walk through an aircraft hangar in Albury, Australia, on May 7, 2026. Jesse Thompson/Getty Images

Coalition parties have conceded holding onto the seat of Farrer will be a tall order ahead of the crucial by-election.