Division of Farrer
| Farrer Australian House of Representatives Division | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Map of electorate boundaries from the 2025 federal election | |||||||||||||||
| Created | 1949 | ||||||||||||||
| MP | Sussan Ley | ||||||||||||||
| Party | Liberal | ||||||||||||||
| 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.
It has been represented by Sussan Ley since 2001. She was the leader of the Opposition and the leader of the Liberal Party from 2025 until she was removed in the 2026 Liberal Party leadership spill. After the spill, she announced she would retire at a later date, which will trigger a by-election in 2026.
Geography
The division is located in the far south-western area of the state and includes Albury, Corowa, Narrandera, Leeton, Griffith, Deniliquin, Hay, Balranald and Wentworth.
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.[1]
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.
The 2015 redistribution significantly shrank Farrer by ceding the state's Far West, including Broken Hill, to the Division of Parkes.[2] At the same time Farrer absorbed the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, including Griffith and Leeton from Riverina.[3] Farrer had gained the far west from Parkes in the 2006 redistribution.[4]
The sitting member, since the 2001 election, is Sussan Ley, a member of the Liberal Party of Australia and that party's deputy leader from 2022–2025, and leader from 2025–2026.[5] She resigned following the 2026 Liberal Party leadership spill.[6]
Boundaries
| 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 |
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| 1977 1 November |
1977 1980 1983 |
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| 1984 11 October |
1984 1987 1990 |
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| 1992 31 January |
1993 1996 1998 |
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| 2000 31 January |
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2001 2004 |
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| 2006 | 2007 | |||
| 2009 | 2010 2013 |
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| 2016 25 February |
2016 2019 2022 |
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| 2024 10 October |
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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 – present |
Served as minister under Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison. Served as Leader of the Opposition from 2025 to 2026. Incumbent. Resigning at later date 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
- ^ Muller, Damon (14 November 2017). "The process of federal redistributions: a quick guide". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Redistribution of New South Wales into 49 electoral divisions" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. 2006. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ 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. 12 February 2026. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ "Farrer, NSW". Australian Electoral Commission. 3 May 2025. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.