Coalition to face a messy by-election in Sussan Ley seat of Farrer

After losing the Liberal leadership this morning, Sussan Ley announced she would resign from the southern NSW seat of Farrer. Ley has held the seat since 2001, when he took it from the National Party following the retirement of Tim Fischer.

In two-party elections, Ley has held the seat by double-digit margins since his first victory in the three-cornered contest in 2001. However, this gap fell to 10.9% in contests against independents in two of the last three elections.