Controversial remarks by One Nation candidate David Farley about former prime minister Julia Gillard have resurfaced days after he was selected to contest the upcoming federal byelection in the southern New South Wales seat of Farrer.
Farley, a Narrandera-based irrigator and agricultural businessman, was announced as the candidate for Pauline Hanson on Saturday ahead of the 9 May byelection, which was triggered by the resignation of long-serving Liberal MP Sussan Ley.
Ley represented the rural electorate for 25 years, first winning the seat in 2001.
Remarks from industry conference
Attention quickly turned to comments Farley made in 2012, when he was chief executive of the Australian Agricultural Company and spoke at a conference about technology designed to process ageing cattle.
During a presentation about abattoir technology designed to process older animals, Farley joked that the facility would be used for “non-productive old cows” before adding that Gillard “has got to watch out”.
Media reports at the time said the remark was met with laughter from members of the audience.
Farley later said the comment was intended as humour.
He described the remarks as “tongue-in-cheek” and argued they had been taken out of context.
Hanson defends candidate
Hanson dismissed criticism of the comments and said the controversy distracted from more pressing national issues.
“Get over it. This is a country with serious issues on our plate and journalists want to trawl through 14-year-old, tongue-in-cheek comments?” Hanson said.
“I fully back David Farley and his comments.”
She said the remark reflected anger across the cattle industry at the time, following the Labor government’s 2011 decision to suspend live cattle exports to Indonesia, a move that sparked widespread backlash among northern and regional producers.
The export suspension was later challenged in court, with the Federal Court ruling in 2020 that the decision had been invalid.
Political reactions
Criticism of Farley’s past remarks has come from other parts of the political spectrum.
Melissa McIntosh described the comment as inappropriate.
“Mr Farley’s comments about former prime minister Gillard were inappropriate. It is up to Mr Farley to clarify those remarks,” she said.
Gillard, who served as Australia’s first female prime minister between 2010 and 2013, faced repeated sexist commentary during her time in office, including protests and slogans that drew widespread condemnation.
Farrer byelection contest
The Farrer contest will provide an early political test for several parties.
The Nationals have nominated Brad Robertson, a retired army colonel and chair of the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre Trust Fund, as their candidate.
The Liberal Party had not yet announced a candidate at the time of reporting, despite the seat being one of the party’s traditional strongholds.
Labor is not expected to field a candidate in the contest.
Hanson has suggested the governing Labor Party is avoiding the race because it expects a decline in support.
The byelection is expected to draw attention nationally as parties assess shifting voter sentiment ahead of the next federal election.
