Will One Nation win its first federal lower house seat?

Ruby Jones· Host0:00

[gentle music] I'm Ruby Jones, and you're listening to 7AM. The seat of Farrer in New South Wales has been empty since the resignation of former Liberal leader Susan Lee. Today, a new member will be elected, and while the race is tight, One Nation's David Farley is ahead in the polls. He'll be picking up coalition preferences, but faces a strong challenge from independent Michelle Milthorpe. So will One Nation win its first ever federal lower house seat? And if so, what will that signal for the future of conservative politics? Today, ABC election analyst Casey Briggs on the fight for Farrer. It's Saturday, May 9. Casey, hello and welcome to 7AM.

Casey Briggs· Guest0:54

It's a pleasure to be with you on a very big day in politics.

Ruby Jones· Host0:57

Absolutely. So people in Farrer are heading out to the polls this morning, and this by-election, I mean, it's not going to change the balance of power right now, but obviously in the context of the rising popularity of One Nation, every by-election is important. Every by-election is being watched with a lot of intensity. So tell me about where things lie.

Casey Briggs· Guest1:19

Yeah, we normally say the political consequences, the national implications of by-elections are pretty small, right? Because the government's not on the line. There are lots of different issues, lots of different candidates. In this case, Labor's not even contesting