Australia’s far-right One Nation party wins closely watched vote in western state
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One Nation, led by Senator Pauline Hanson, overtook Labor in a national opinion poll for the first time in June.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- The far-right One Nation party won its first Lower House seat in Western Australia, defeating the Labor Party in a special by-election.
- One Nation’s rise reflects growing voter dissatisfaction, with leader Pauline Hanson warning Labor of losing more seats.
- Labor urges reflection on the result, while Prime Minister Albanese condemns One Nation’s divisive politics and stresses Labor as the true alternative.
AI generated
SYDNEY – The far-right One Nation party has secured its first Lower House seat in the state Parliament of Western Australia, defeating the ruling Labor Party to win a special election.
The election was watched as an indicator of One Nation’s strength after the party surged in the polls over the past year.
With 75 per cent of votes counted, One Nation’s Luke Herdegen held 57 per cent, while the Labor candidate had 43 per cent, according to the state electoral commission late on Aug 29 in state capital Perth.
Broadcaster ABC called the by-election for Herdegen.
In 2025’s election in the area south of Perth, long-time Labor lawmaker Paul Papalia won the seat with almost 47 per cent of the primary vote, with One Nation trailing at slightly more than 8 per cent.
Papalia announced in July that he would retire as a family member was ill, forcing the special election.
Labor holds an overwhelming majority in the state Parliament so the election will not affect its ability to govern, but it will be seen as a sign that One Nation has been able to capitalise on its surge in the polls over 2025 and translate that into election wins.
The party secured its best result in the March state election in South Australia and won its first federal Lower House seat in May.
“There are no safe Labor seats in this state or in this country any more,” Herdegen told celebrating supporters, in comments broadcast by ABC. “None of these MPs are safe from the orange tsunami.”
One Nation’s next opportunity will be the Victoria state election in November, where the incumbent Labor government looks set to voted out after a dozen years in power.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said the result was a warning for Labor.
“We’re coming for more of your seats,” she said in a post on X.
“Australians are choosing One Nation as a serious alternative to the tired old uni-party who have destroyed our nation’s economic prowess and made the cost of living so outrageously unaffordable.”
Minister for Social Sciences Tanya Plibersek told ABC’s Insiders on Aug 30 that the ruling party needs to reflect on the election outcome.
“It is important that all of us have a good look at the results here and think about what more we need to do to communicate the fact that the Labor Party is the only party focused on real delivery to take pressure off ordinary Australians,” she said.
One Nation’s gain in popularity has mirrored movements that have swept the US, Britain and parts of Europe, where trust in institutions and traditional centrists is fading.
“Across the world, hard-right populists are on the march peddling politics that is dangerous, divisive and downright dishonest,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a speech to supporters on Aug 30, adding that One Nation can only achieve power in a coalition with the centre-right Liberal National Party.
“The best way to defeat this coalition of chaos is to give Australians real hope of a better future,” he said.
“Parties like One Nation have no serious answers to our problems. One Nation is not on the side of working people. The only mainstream political force in Australia that seeks to govern in the interests of the Australian people in their own right is the Australian Labor Party.” BLOOMBERG
