The Farrer byelection could reveal whether Coalition voters are really shifting towards One Nation or prefer independents, with implications for future political strategy.

The May 9 Farrer byelection offers the Liberal and National parties a unique opportunity to discover what their supporters truly think about how closely they should align themselves with Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party.

Labor’s decision not to contest the byelection means that the separate Coalition parties could adopt an unusual strategy with their how-to-vote preferences, leaving it mainly to voters to determine whether or not to favour the One Nation candidate over an independent who is aligned with the Teals.

At the moment, the betting odds suggest that neither the Liberal candidate, Raissa Buttkowski, nor the National, Brad Robertson, will win.

The leading contenders are independent Michelle Milthorpe and One Nation’s David Farley.

Milthorpe contested Farrer at the last federal election, and after preferences came second to Sussan Ley, who had held the seat for the Liberals since 2001.

The seat has always been held........

© The New Daily