Australia's One Nation party has done something it has never done before: win a federal lower-house seat. The right-wing populist party, known for its colorful leader Pauline Hanson and its ability to make headlines, has finally cracked the code in a by-election in the vast regional constituency of Farrer.
With almost all votes counted, One Nation candidate David Farley - whose background is in agribusiness, because naturally - secured over 57% of the tally. Independent candidate Michelle Milthorpe trailed at nearly 43%. The contest was triggered by the resignation of Sussan Ley, who quit after being ousted as leader of the opposition conservative Liberal Party. So, thanks to some internal party drama, One Nation now has a seat at the table.
While this result won't affect the Labor government's large majority - because, let's be real, it's a by-election - it's a clear sign that voters are moving away from traditional political parties. Saturday's poll was the first federal test of One Nation's support after the party recorded the second-highest number of votes out of any political party in the South Australian state election in March. So, they're on a roll, apparently.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, in her signature style, told supporters this was not just a win for Farrer, but a win for Australia. She also warned that the party was "coming after those other seats." Farley, meanwhile, invoked masonry metaphors, saying: "We're like a mason, with a chisel, and a hammer and we're re-carving the letters into the Australian democracy." We're not entirely sure what that means, but it sounds dramatic.
Australia's preferential voting system means voters rank candidates from most to least preferred, and the final tally is calculated after preferences are distributed. One Nation had never won a federal lower house contest before Saturday. In the late 1990s, Hanson initially held her seat as an independent before losing her re-election bid. She has since returned to parliament as a senator, proving that persistence pays off - or at least that the political landscape is weird.
During the campaign, Farley said he had "lost a bit of faith" in the major parties, claiming they say one thing to your face and do something else in parliament. Farrer spans 127,000 sq km (49,000 sq miles) - an area larger than South Korea - and takes in regional centers like Albury, Griffith, and Deniliquin. The seat has always been held by either the Liberal or National parties, until now.
The by-election also served as a test for the new leaders of the Liberal and National parties: Angus Taylor and Matt Canavan, respectively. The Liberal-National coalition suffered its worst ever defeat in last year's federal election, and the two parties have been struggling with infighting and poor polling since then. So, One Nation's victory is just another headache for them.