| Farrer Australian House of Representatives Division | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Map of electorate boundaries from the 2025 federal election | |||||||||||||||
| Created | 1949 | ||||||||||||||
| MP | Vacant | ||||||||||||||
| Namesake | William Farrer | ||||||||||||||
| Electors | 128,630 (2025) | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 126,563 km2 (48,866.2 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Demographic | Rural | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
The Division of Farrer is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. Located in the southwestern part of the state bordering both South Australia and Victoria, at 126,563 km2 (48,866.2 sq mi) it is the second-largest division by land area in the state after the neighbouring Division of Parkes. It includes the cities of Albury and Griffith, and has always included Albury since the creation of the division in 1949.
It is currently vacant after sitting member and former leader of the Opposition Sussan Ley resigned on 27 February 2026, after earlier losing the 2026 Liberal Party leadership spill. Her resignation will trigger a by-election on 9 May 2026.
History
The division was created in 1949 and is named for William Farrer, an agricultural scientist.
It has always been a safe non-Labor seat, alternating between the Liberal Party and the National Party. All four of its members have gone on to serve in cabinet, most notably Tim Fischer, leader of the National Party from 1990 to 1999 and Deputy Prime Minister from 1996 to 1999 during the first half of the Howard government.
Fischer's predecessor, Wal Fife, transferred to the Division of Hume in 1984 after Farrer ceded Wagga Wagga to Hume in a redistribution.
The most recent member, since the 2001 election, was Sussan Ley, a member of the Liberal Party of Australia and that party's deputy leader from 2022–2025, and leader from 2025–2026.[1] On 13 February 2026, she announced she would be resigning from parliament, after losing the 2026 Liberal Party leadership spill.[2] She officially resigned on 27 February 2026 and the seat will be vacant until the 2026 Farrer by-election.[3]
Boundaries
Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined at redistributions by a redistribution committee appointed by the Australian Electoral Commission. Redistributions occur for the boundaries of divisions in a particular state, and they occur every seven years, or sooner if a state's representation entitlement changes or when divisions of a state are malapportioned.[4]
When the division was first created in 1949, it covered areas that were previously part of the Division of Hume, such as Wagga Wagga and Albury.[5] It lost Wagga Wagga to Hume in 1984, but significantly expanded westwards to the South Australian border. The expansion replaced the southern portion of the Division of Riverina which was renamed Division of Riverina-Darling that year.[6][7] Since then, the division has always covered the south-west corner of the state, the MacCabe Corner.
Farrer gained the Far West, including Broken Hill from the Division of Parkes in the 2006 redistribution.[8][9] The gain also included the north-west corner of the state, the Cameron Corner. Much of this gain was reverted in the 2016 redistribution, ceding the area back to Parkes.[10] At the same time Farrer absorbed the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, including Griffith and Leeton from Riverina.[6][11] There were no changes to the boundaries in the subsequent 2024 redistribution.[7]
Since 2016, the division is located in the far south-western area of the state, and covers the entirety of the local government areas of City of Albury, Balranald Shire, Berrigan Shire, Carrathool Shire, Edward River, Federation Council, Greater Hume Shire, City of Griffith, Hay Shire, Leeton Shire, Murray River Council, Murrumbidgee Council, Narrandera Shire and Wentworth Shire.[12] These include the cities or towns of Albury, Corowa, Narrandera, Leeton, Griffith, Deniliquin, Hay, Balranald and Wentworth. The division has always covered Albury throughout its existence.[7]
 |
| Redistribution | Map | Interactive | Elections | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 11 May |
 |
1949 1951 1954 |
Division created. | |
| 1955 30 August |
1955 1958 1961 1963 1966 |
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| 1968 21 November |
1969 1972 1974 1975 |
|||
| 1977 1 November |
1977 1980 1983 |
|||
| 1984 11 October |
1984 1987 1990 |
|||
| 1992 31 January |
1993 1996 1998 |
|||
| 2000 31 January |
 |
2001 2004 |
||
| 2006 | 2007 | |||
| 2009 | 2010 2013 |
|||
| 2016 25 February |
 |
2016 2019 2022 |
||
| 2024 10 October |
|
2025 2026 |
No change. |
Members
| Image | Member | Party | Term | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
David Fairbairn (1917–1994) |
Liberal | 10 December 1949 – 11 November 1975 |
Served as minister under Menzies, Holt, McEwen, Gorton and McMahon. Retired | |
 |
Wal Fife (1929–2017) |
13 December 1975 – 1 December 1984 |
Previously held the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Wagga Wagga. Served as minister under Fraser. Transferred to the Division of Hume | ||
 |
Tim Fischer (1946–2019) |
Nationals | 1 December 1984 – 8 October 2001 |
Previously held the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Murray. Served as minister and Deputy Prime Minister under Howard. Retired | |
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Sussan Ley (1961–) |
Liberal | 10 November 2001 – 27 February 2026 |
Served as minister under Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison. Served as Leader of the Opposition from 2025 to 2026. Resigned to retire from politics | |
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Sussan Ley | 44,743 | 43.41 | −8.85 | |
| Independent | Michelle Milthorpe | 20,567 | 19.96 | +19.96 | |
| Labor | Glen Hyde | 15,551 | 15.09 | −3.90 | |
| One Nation | Emma Hicks | 6,803 | 6.60 | +0.27 | |
| Greens | Richard Hendrie | 5,085 | 4.93 | −4.18 | |
| Shooters, Fishers, Farmers | Peter Sinclair | 3,577 | 3.47 | −1.84 | |
| Trumpet of Patriots | Tanya Hargraves | 2,441 | 2.37 | +2.37 | |
| Family First | Rebecca Scriven | 2,218 | 2.15 | +2.15 | |
| People First | David O'Reilly | 2,078 | 2.02 | +2.02 | |
| Total formal votes | 103,063 | 90.97 | −1.44 | ||
| Informal votes | 10,234 | 9.03 | +1.44 | ||
| Turnout | 113,297 | 91.55 | +2.11 | ||
| Notional two-party-preferred count | |||||
| Liberal | Sussan Ley | 64,812 | 62.89 | −3.46 | |
| Labor | Glen Hyde | 38,251 | 37.11 | +3.46 | |
| Two-candidate-preferred result | |||||
| Liberal | Sussan Ley | 57,916 | 56.19 | −10.16 | |
| Independent | Michelle Milthorpe | 45,147 | 43.81 | +43.81 | |
| Liberal hold | |||||
References
- ↑ Johnston, David (31 January 2013). "Ley now the third longest serving in Farrer". The Border Mail. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
- ↑ "Live: Sussan Ley to quit politics after losing spill, setting up by-election". ABC News. 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ↑ "Federal politics live: Sussan Ley officially resigns two weeks after being ousted as Liberal leader". ABC. 27 February 2026.
- ↑ Muller, Damon (14 November 2017). "The process of federal redistributions: a quick guide". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ↑ "Hume". Parliamentary Handbook. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
- 1 2 "Riverina". Parliamentary Handbook. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Farrer". Parliamentary Handbook. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
- ↑ "Redistribution of New South Wales into 49 electoral divisions" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. 2006. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ↑ "Parkes". Parliamentary Handbook. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
- ↑ "Proposed federal redistribution moves far west out of Farrer electorate". ABC News. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ↑ "Map of the Proposed Commonwealth Electoral Divisions of Calare, Cowper, Eden-Monaro, Farrer, Gilmore, Hume, Hunter, Lyne, New England, Page, Parkes, Patterson, Richmond and Riverina" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. October 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
- ↑ "Map of Commonwealth Electoral Division of Farrer" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. October 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
- ↑ "Farrer, NSW". Australian Electoral Commission. 3 May 2025. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.