Farrer byelection to be held on May 9 after Sussan Ley's resignation from politics

Voters in rural southern NSW will head to the polls in May after former opposition leader Sussan Ley's resignation last month triggered a byelection in the seat of Farrer.

The byelection will be held on Saturday, May 9, House Speaker Milton Dick announced during Question Time today.

The electorate of Farrer has existed since 1949, but its current borders were drawn in 2016.

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It comprises councils including Albury, Berrigan, Griffith and Leeton.

Ley had comfortably held the seat for the majority of her 25 years in parliament.

However, the Liberal Party's charmed run in Farrer could come to an end as voters head to the polls for what is predicted to be a messy contest, after the surging One Nation threw its hat into the ring.

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The Nationals have not contested the seat since Ley bested them in 2001 to become the local MP, but the junior Coalition partner will now take a run at the electorate alongside the Liberals.

The byelection looms as an early test for new Liberal leader Angus Taylor and his embattled party.

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