One Nation has won its first federal Lower House seat at the ballot box in a historic result breaking the Coalition’s 77-year hold on the NSW seat of Farrer.
The populist party’s David Farley defeated fellow frontrunner Michelle Milthorpe and Coalition candidates Raissa Butkowski and Brad Robertson to clinch the seat, commanding a double-digit lead within two hours of polls closing.
With just 12 per cent of ballots officially tallied, he surged to 41 per cent of the primary vote to his independent rival’s 28 per cent.
The Liberal and Nationals candidates were sitting just north of 9 per cent.
Mr Farley is a high-profile agribusiness leader and who served as chief executive of the Australian Agricultural Company, as well as and managing director of Australian cotton giant Colly Cotton.
A heavyweight in the irrigation and commodities sectors, he has worked across the world, including in the US.
More to come
