The far-right party’s winning candidate, David Farley, has advocated for stricter migration and farming reforms.

Australia’s far-right One Nation party has captured a seat in the country’s House of Representatives for the first time, according to preliminary election results.

David Farley, a former agribusiness consultant, is on course for a decisive victory in the special election for Australia’s southwestern division of Farrer, located in New South Wales state, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Saturday.

Farley had a projected 59.1 percent of the vote, compared with 40.8 percent for his independent opponent Michelle Milthorpe, according to the ABC. The centre-left Labor Party, which has a majority in the lower house, did not run a candidate for the seat.

“It’s very clear, the next member for Farrer is David Farley,” ABC election analyst Casey Briggs said ⁠in a broadcast. “It’s not a close result.”

Farley, who has advocated for reduced migration and farming reforms, will hold the vacant seat left by the resignation in February of Sussan Ley, leader of the centre-right Liberal Party.

The result marks the first time One Nation, founded by politician Pauline Hanson, has won a ⁠lower house seat in its 30-year history. Farley, speaking after his projected victory, said the party “has reached the end of its beginning” and is “going through the ceiling”.

Addressing his policy priorities, Farley said he would pursue an immigration policy based on the needs of Australia’s labour market, particularly in agriculture. “We’re not going to implode any of our industries that are reliant on good quality, assimilating migrants into the country,” he said. “But we’re not going to entertain people to come here and live off our balance sheet, our purse and give us nothing.

He also said he would work to bring down the cost of living. “We’re going to have policy that fits Australia, not the world,” he said.

Milthorpe congratulated Farley on his election win and said the next two years would be a test for One Nation, which now faces the tough challenge of translating the popular anger it has tapped into concrete results. “They will successfully reflect the anger we feel out here. But that is the easy part,” she said. “The hard part is doing something about it.”

Farley’s victory does little to affect the balance in the lower house of parliament, where the Labor Party holds 94 of 150 seats.

However, the victory is in line with growing electoral support for far-right populist parties globally. Earlier this week, Britain’s populist right-wing Reform UK party made sweeping gains in local council elections at the expense of Labour.

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Trump says hantavirus is ‘under control’ as WHO tracks cruise outbreak

US President Donald Trump says a hantavirus cruise ship cluster is ‘under very good control.’ The World Health Organization says it is coordinating with US authorities as infected passengers are hospitalised and contact tracing continues across several countries.

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Iran’s presence at the tournament has been shrouded in uncertainty since the US and Israel launched a war on the country in February.

Iran’s football federation has said the men’s national team will take part in the 2026 World Cup that begins in June, but demanded that joint hosts the United States, Mexico and Canada agree to its conditions amid the Middle East war.

The call on Saturday comes after Canada refused entry to the federation’s chief last month before the FIFA Congress because of his alleged links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the ideological arm of Iran’s military, which it designated as a “terrorist group” in 2024.

Iran’s presence at the tournament, which will take place between June 11 and July 19, has been shrouded in uncertainty since the US and Israel launched a war on the Middle East country in February.

“We will definitely participate in the 2026 World Cup, but the hosts must take our concerns into account,” the Iranian federation said on its official website.

“We will participate in the World Cup tournament, but without any retreat from our beliefs, culture, and convictions.”

The Iranian football federation (FFIRI) President Mehdi Taj told state TV on Friday that Tehran has 10 conditions for attending the global spectacle, seeking assurances over the country’s treatment.

The conditions include visas being granted and respect for the national team staff, the team’s flag and its national anthem during the tournament, as well as demands for high security at airports, hotels and routes to the stadiums where they will play.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted that Iran’s footballers would be welcome at the tournament.

But he warned that the US may yet bar entry to members of the Iranian delegation with ties to the IRGC, which it also designates as a terrorist organisation.

“All players and technical staff, especially those who have served their military service in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or IRGC, such as Mehdi Taremi and Ehsan Hajsafi, should be granted visas without any problems,” said Iranian football chief Taj.

FIFA chief Gianni Infantino has reiterated that Iran will play their World Cup games in the US as scheduled.

Iran, who are due to be based in Tucson, Arizona, during the World Cup, face New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in Group G.

The Iranians open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.

“No external power can deprive Iran of its participation in a cup to which it has qualified with merit,” the Iranian federation said on Saturday.

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