One Nation secures historic victory in Secret Harbour by-election, taking first WA lower house seat
The minor party One Nation has secured its first lower house seat in Western Australia following a victory in the Secret Harbour by-election. The result, which saw a significant swing against the Labor Party, is being viewed as a potential indicator of shifting political sentiment across Australia.
Why it matters
This result challenges the traditional two-party dominance in Australian politics and suggests growing electoral volatility in previously safe seats.
Luke Herdegen celebrates after his party claimed victory in the Secret Harbour by-election. ( ABC News: Keane Bourke )
Link copied Share Share article One Nation has scored a historic win in Western Australia, securing its first lower house seat in the state.
The ABC's chief elections and data analyst Casey Briggs called the outer suburban seat of Secret Harbour for One Nation's Luke Herdegen a little over four hours after votes began to be counted.
One Nation's WA leader Rod Caddies claimed victory at 9:30pm local time, although Labor had yet to concede.
Luke Herdegen will be the next MLA for Secret Harbour. ( ABC News: Keane Bourke )
Labor's candidate was political staffer-turned-Woodside lobbyist Georgia Tree.
The area was traditionally safe Labor territory, having been held in different shapes and under different names since 1989, including most recently by Paul Papalia on an 11.5 per cent margin.
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