Ley resigns from parliament, triggering by-election
Sussan Ley has officially left parliament two weeks after she was sacked from the Liberal Party’s top post.
Farrer’s resignation from his seat will trigger a by-election in what is expected to be a hotly contested four-way race in the regional NSW electorate.
“This morning I wrote a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives recommending that I resign from parliament immediately as Federal Member for Farrer,” Ms Ley said in a statement.
“I will not be returning for a farewell speech. I am confident that my efforts and achievements over 25 years will speak for themselves.”
Ms Ley said she was proud of her work to set up a federal royal commission into anti-Semitism and set clear policy directions on tax, industrial relations, energy, national security and families.
He was elected opposition leader on 13 February, with Angus Taylor taking over after a series of tough opinion polls.
The Liberals, Nationals, One Nation and independent Michelle Milthorpe hope to win Ms Ley’s seat when a by-election is called.
Among coalition ranks, the vote is seen as the first major test of Mr Taylor’s leadership.
Independent candidates David Pocock and Helen Haines will publicly support Milthorpe on Friday, effectively launching Farrer’s campaign even though a by-election date has not yet been set.
Ms Milthorpe has previously appeared publicly as an advocate for victims of child sexual assault after two of her daughters were abused by a family friend.
He ran against Ms Ley in the 2025 federal election and lost 56.2 to 43.8 per cent after the election.
After being sacked as opposition leader, Ms Ley said she would spend the coming weeks thanking her voters before tendering her resignation.
But a senior Liberal source said Ms Ley had not been heard from since the leadership emerged and had not reached out to any local party members.
Ms. Ley’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
The Liberals, Nationals and One Nation have yet to announce candidates for the upcoming election.
Albury State Liberal MP Justin Clancy was considering running but declined on Friday morning, citing family commitments.
Party insiders feared losing Farrer and the state seat of Albury if Mr Clancy was not successful in the by-election.
One Nation plans to announce its final three or four candidates next week, with a primary election event scheduled for March 7 to select the official candidate.
Helen Dalton, an independent NSW MP whose Murray electorate overlaps with Farrer, left the door open to run for the anti-immigration party.
Local National Party members will also vote for their own candidates in the coming weeks.
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