One Nation candidate condemns volunteer’s ‘assault’ on Liberal senator James Paterson
Updated ,first published
One Nation’s candidate in the Farrer by-election has condemned “any attack during the campaign” after one of his volunteers was filmed taking Liberal Senator James Paterson’s phone following a clash outside a polling booth in Albury.
The conflict arose after the pair fell out over revelations on this imprint that One Nation’s challenger, David Farley, a former National candidate, had previously sought a Labor nomination and supported independent candidate Michelle Milthorpe in last year’s election.
Given Labor’s unpopularity in the south-western NSW seat that has always been held by the Coalition, the opposition seized on this statement. He put up campaign posters featuring Farley wearing Labor Party clothes in an attempt to deter voters from turning to One Nation.
According to video footage of the interaction filmed by Paterson apparently without the volunteer’s knowledge, the senior Liberal senator brought up Farley’s history of supporting Labor and suggested voters had a right to know about the candidate’s political background.
Paterson asked the One Nation volunteer if he agreed, and the volunteer accused the Liberal senator of weaponising the information for his own benefit.
“Liberal-National gang, you wouldn’t have spent the money if you didn’t think changing the vote would be defamatory. You’re a lying piece of shit,” the volunteer said.
Paterson insisted that it was not defamatory because it was true. The volunteer said it was “low” and added “you were so scared.”
Two minutes later, the volunteer asks if Paterson is taking a video and takes the phone from his hand. “Don’t videotape me without my fucking knowledge, man,” he said.
Paterson responded: “It’s an attack, you just committed an attack… you just took my phone away, that’s an attack.”
Farley acknowledged the incident in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “I was made aware of an incident that occurred at a polling booth in Albury today, involving a volunteer for my campaign and an elected Senator of the Liberal Party who I spoke to personally to ensure he was OK,” he wrote in a statement posted on Facebook alongside the video footage.
“I want to reaffirm my commitment to respectful behavior and inclusive participation in our democratic process. I condemn in the strongest terms any form of aggression during the campaign and will not hesitate to take action when bad behavior is noticed.”
“My campaign team will fully cooperate with the police investigation if the Liberal Party deems it necessary.”
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson told Sky News on Wednesday evening that Farley had called Paterson to apologize. The volunteer “was terminated and sent home immediately,” Hanson said.
“Even if there is, I don’t know [the volunteer] A member of the party, a volunteer working at the stand there. We absolutely do not approve of such behavior. And, you know, people should be able to move freely without being subjected to violence,” Hanson said. “Nobody likes that. “This is happening in all political parties.”
Paterson said in a statement to this imprint: “Tough discussions about voting booths are healthy, but they should never become physical.”
“Anyone running for public office must accept legitimate scrutiny of their record, including from One Nation. Voters have the right to know that David Farley is a Labor member, candidate and donor before deciding who represents them in Farrer,” Paterson said.
Farley ran away from cameras during inspection
Earlier in the day, Farley dodged TV cameras as he faced questions about his long-term commitment to Pauline Hanson, while Opposition Leader Angus Taylor took a hard line against suggestions that the Coalition would work with populist separatists.
National leader Matt Canavan branded David Farley a “loop Farley” after the One Nation candidate for a regional NSW seat raised his hand towards local journalists on Tuesday afternoon.
The frontrunner in this weekend’s crucial by-election triggered by the ouster of Sussan Ley from the Liberal leadership appeared provisionally at the polls on Tuesday after this imprint reported domestic fears about whether she would remain loyal to Hanson if elected to parliament.
Asked at a candidate forum Monday night whether he would remain loyal to One Nation, with whom he disagrees on immigration policy, Farley said: “That’s the most important question every journalist asks me.
“I remain committed to One Nation, it’s that simple.”
“Farley may not look like Harrison Ford, but he makes a pretty good impression,” Canavan said. Leakage. Fugitive Farley can run, but he can’t hide from questions about his commitment to conservative causes.”
The leader of the National Party is campaigning in Farrer ahead of Saturday’s byelection, which will highlight the splintering of the right. Both Coalition parties are advising voters to direct their preference towards Farley ahead of the Climate 200-backed independent candidate.
Coalition MPs, who spoke anonymously to discuss voters’ concerns, said their party was suffering from the perception among conservative voters that voting for One Nation would lead to the dismissal of the Labor government. The move from Hanson and One Nation to Barnaby Joyce raised the possibility of a right-wing coalition, which fueled the idea.
But One Nation gets almost all its support from the Coalition, so Taylor moved to warn people in Farrer that votes for One Nation would only hurt the Coalition’s chances of changing the government.
“If the votes bounce, Labor stays,” the opposition leader told this imprint in his office on Monday. “If you want to get rid of a bad Labor government you should vote Coalition.”
Taylor has not been as determined as some Coalition colleagues, including Canavan, in attacking Hanson, who leads the Coalition in all national polls. Coalition parties expect Farrer to finish third and fourth behind One Nation and independent Michelle Milthorpe.
Coalition officials said they were surprised to see so many Farrer voters talking to them about two splits between the Liberal and National parties after last year’s election. “They think we’re just a joke,” one MP said.
Taylor said it’s his job to rebuild voters’ trust. “You destroy trust in an instant, you rebuild it over time,” he said.
Hanson and Joyce this week suggested they might run in the lower house rather than the Senate at the next election, with Joyce joining One Nation to stand for the NSW Senate.
Farley, 69, who has had a successful career in agriculture, appeared live on Sky News Australia from Albury on Tuesday evening, where he was grilled by viewers, rival candidates and presenter Paul Murray.
“I have three clear things to do,” he said in response to a question from Murray.
“One, I want to win on the 9th and do that. Second, I want to create a foundation for change and bring productivity and capacity back to Farrer. Third, I will run in the 2028 election and we will also help Pauline Hanson and her team build a great political party that will stand out and be relevant in Australian democracy.”
Farley, who opposed One Nation’s immigration policy during the campaign, also clashed with senior figures in the party after failing to reveal to them that he had previously tried to run for Labor and had backed Milthorpe, who is now his Climate 200-funded rival, last year.
Liberal candidates Raissa Butkowski and National candidate Brad Robertson repeatedly asked Farley why he had not been honest about his attempts to run for Labor.
Farley said it was up to the media to answer why they reported it before he had a chance to tell One Nation, and that his political journey was one of “disappointment.”
“I tried to engage Farrer politically, especially on critical issues such as water, but I had no success. I explored all options,” he said.
“I explored the option of running as an independent, like Michelle did. I brought Michelle into my office twice… I discussed all of this with the Nationals myself… Then I went to Labor and tried to figure out how to get my foot in the door from there,” Farley said.
“But Labor had no interest there. So the truth was, culturally, I wasn’t a good fit for them.”
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Paul Sakkal is the Chief Political Correspondent. He has previously covered Victorian politics and won the Walkley award as well as the 2025 Press Gallery Journalist of the Year award. Contact him securely on Signal @paulsakkal.14.Connect with: X or email.
Rob Harris is a national correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, based in Canberra. He is a former European correspondent.Connect via email.
Natassia Chrysanthos is a Federal Political Correspondent. He has previously reported on immigration, health, social issues and the NDIS from Parliament House in Canberra.Connect with: X or email.
