Division of Farrer

The Division of Farrer is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. It is currently represented by Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Liberal Party Sussan Ley.

Farrer Australian House of Representatives Division
Interactive 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
Electorates around Farrer: Grey (SA) Parkes Riverina Grey (SA) Farrer Riverina Grey (SA) Mallee Nicholls (VIC) Indi (VIC)

It includes the cities of Albury and Griffith. Prior to 2016, it also included the city of Broken Hill.

Geography

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]

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.

History

William Farrer, the division's namesake

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.^[5]

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
		Sussan Ley (1961–)	Liberal	10 November 2001 – present	Served as minister under Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison. Incumbent. Currently the Leader of the Opposition.

Election results

Main article: Electoral results for the Division of Farrer

This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2025 Australian federal election in New South Wales § Farrer.[edit]

2025 Australian federal election: Farrer^[6]

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