One Nation claims historic by-election win in Western Australia
One Nation has secured a historic breakthrough in Western Australia, winning its first lower house seat in the state after candidate Luke Herdegen defeated Labor’s Georgia Tree in the Secret Harbour by-election.
As of Sunday morning, Herdegen won 57.04 per cent of the two-candidate-preferred vote, finishing ahead of Tree on 42.96 per cent.
The result marks the first time Pauline Hanson’s One Nation has claimed a seat in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, delivering a significant milestone for the party as it seeks to expand its presence in state and territory parliaments.
Labor’s primary vote has crashed to 24 per cent, falling from 46 per cent recorded at the 2025 WA state election.
One Nation recorded a primary of 39 per cent, up 30 per cent from the 2025 election.
The Liberal Party polled a primary of 17 per cent, down 7 per cent from 2025.
Hanson said the result demonstrated the party’s ability to challenge Labor in areas where the Liberal Party had struggled.
Luke Herdegen (pictured) defeated Labor’s Georgia Tree in the Secret Harbour by-election
‘One Nation has taken a seat where the Liberals have never been able to challenge Labor,’ she said.
‘We are the only party that can take the fight to Anthony Albanese where the Liberal Party never could.
‘We’re taking on the political establishment.’
On Saturday night, Herdegen said his victory showed that there were ‘no safe Labor seats in [WA] or in this country anymore’.
The result has sent shockwaves through Labor, with the outer Perth seat long regarded as safe territory for the party.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spent the last week of the byelection in WA, but did not campaign alongside Tree, with Daily Mail understanding he was considered a detractor by the campaign.
Tree also faced scrutiny during the campaign over living outside the electorate, while opponents highlighted her previous work for oil and gas giant Woodside and Resources Minister Madeleine King, questioning her appeal in a traditionally working class electorate.
Herdegen, meanwhile, came under pressure over a series of controversial social media posts, including a 2019 account of heavy drug use while living in London and videos reportedly filmed while he was driving.
Herdegen (pictured) declared that there were ‘no safe Labor seats’ in WA or Australia anymore
Speaking on ABC’s Sunday Agenda, One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce said the party’s historic Secret Harbour by-election victory underscored a changing political landscape and suggested support for One Nation was being underestimated.
‘Politics has changed, and I think one of the takeaways from that is our actual poll is always higher than our online polls,’ he said.
Joyce said the result showed voters were increasingly looking beyond the major parties, but insisted One Nation would remain focused on building support rather than celebrating prematurely.
‘We’re not going to get hubristic, but we’re playing a good game and we’re going to continue to make sure that we improve so that we gain the respect of the people,’ he said.
Joyce said the party’s focus now was on continuing to broaden its appeal and convert growing voter dissatisfaction into long-term political support.
