Barnaby Joyce has rejected reports that David Farley is preparing to leave One Nation and sit as an independent, insisting the party’s newest federal MP remains an “asset” despite mounting tensions with its leadership.
The speculation follows claims that Mr Farley’s relationship with the party had deteriorated after a series of public disagreements with Pauline Hanson and Mr Joyce, including over immigration policy.
Mr Farley became One Nation’s first elected member of the House of Representatives when he won the Farrer by-election in New South Wales in May. His victory ended the Coalition’s hold on the seat, which had been retained by the Liberal or National parties since it was created in 1949.
The dispute intensified after Mr Farley told the ABC programme Insiders that One Nation’s pledge to reduce net overseas migration to 130,000 could allow a further 100,000 workers to enter under separate visa arrangements.
He said the combined figure would be about 230,000 a year, putting the party’s practical position close to Labor’s projected migration intake. Ms Hanson subsequently reaffirmed that One Nation’s policy was a firm net migration target of 130,000. ([abc.net.au](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-23/one-nation-migration-rates-similar-labor/107068282?utm_source=openai))
Mr Farley also declined to endorse Ms Hanson’s plan to challenge a Federal Court ruling concerning her social media post directed at Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi.
Asked whether the Racial Discrimination Act should be changed, Mr Farley said: “I’m not convinced that we need to go and change anything at the moment.”
The Saturday Paper has since reported that Mr Farley told parliamentary colleagues he was struggling to establish a workable relationship with Mr Joyce, who has pointed to his inexperience when defending a number of his public statements.
Mr Joyce, speaking to ABC Radio National, said he had no knowledge of any plan for Mr Farley to quit.
“I had a conversation with him nearly a day or so ago, and that was completely the opposite of what he said to me,” he said.
“David is an incredibly important part of that. He’s incredibly competent and an asset to the party.”
Mr Joyce, who himself left the Nationals before joining One Nation, suggested the reports reflected the intense scrutiny directed at the minor party.
“Of course the media have a lot of fun with people if they can smell blood on the water,” he said. ([perthnow.com.au](https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/joyce-denies-one-nation-mp-david-farley-is-looking-to-quit-amid-internal-rift-c-22800736))
The latest dispute is not the first disagreement between Mr Farley and the party leadership. Ms Hanson previously said she had intervened after he planned to display Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags in his electorate office, which would have breached One Nation policy.
Mr Farley later said only the Australian flag would be displayed in a position “consistent with One Nation policy”. His previous political affiliations also came under scrutiny during the Farrer campaign after reports that he had donated to, and sought to join, the Labor Party.
