One Nation Wins Historic First Lower House Seat in Western Australia After Secret Harbour By-Election Victory
Developed over time first seen 3 hours ago
One Nation has achieved a breakthrough in Western Australian state politics, with candidate Luke Herdegen defeating Labor's Georgia Tree in the Secret Harbour by-election. The win marks the first time Pauline Hanson's party has secured a lower house seat in the WA Legislative Assembly, signifying entry into a new level of political representation in the state.
The victory in Secret Harbour, a suburban Perth seat previously regarded as safe Labor territory, reflects expanding electoral momentum for One Nation across state and federal contests. The result follows the party's federal win in Farrer earlier this year, together indicating that One Nation's support base has broadened well beyond traditional strongholds into mainstream middle-class constituencies.
- One Nation claims first-ever lower house seat in WA, with Luke Herdegen defeating Labor's Georgia Tree in Secret Harbour
- Previously considered secure Labor territory, the upset suggests One Nation's appeal now extends to suburban mortgage-belt voters
- Victory follows federal win in Farrer, indicating growing momentum across multiple electoral levels
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One Nation has never before held a seat in the lower house of Western Australia's state parliament, the chamber where governments are formed and most laws are made. The party, led federally by Pauline Hanson, has traditionally drawn support through upper house or Senate seats rather than winning individual electorates outright. A by-election is a special vote held to fill a seat that has become vacant between general elections, and Secret Harbour, a suburb south of Perth, is the electorate in question here.
The contest was between One Nation's Luke Herdegen and Labor's Georgia Tree, with Labor having previously held the seat comfortably. Losing a seat considered safe in a by-election is often seen as a signal of shifting voter sentiment, since by-elections can allow voters to register views on state or federal issues without changing which party governs overall.
This result follows a separate federal by-election win for One Nation in the seat of Farrer earlier in 2026, and analysts are watching both results together to gauge whether the party's support is spreading beyond its usual base into new areas and demographics.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of this result see it as a healthy expression of democracy, with voters in a seat long taken for granted by Labor choosing to reward a party they feel has listened to their concerns on issues such as cost of living, immigration and law and order. They would argue that a growing vote for minor parties reflects legitimate dissatisfaction with the major parties rather than any failing of the electoral system, and that One Nation's entry into the Legislative Assembly gives previously marginalised voters a genuine voice in state politics, strengthening pluralism by forcing established parties to compete harder for support they might otherwise assume was secure.
The case against
Others view the result with concern, arguing that One Nation has a long record of rhetoric on immigration, multiculturalism and Indigenous affairs that they regard as divisive or exclusionary, and that its expansion into a mainstream, middle-class Perth seat suggests such views are gaining wider acceptance rather than remaining confined to the party's traditional base. They would contend that Labor's loss of a previously safe seat should prompt genuine reflection on unaddressed voter grievances, but caution against reading the win as simple endorsement of One Nation's platform, urging that concerns be addressed without normalising positions they see as harmful to social cohesion.
Full account
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation has won the Secret Harbour by-election in Western Australia, giving the party its first seat in the state’s Legislative Assembly. Luke Herdegen defeated Labor candidate Georgia Tree in the outer-Perth electorate, formerly held by retired Labor minister Paul Papalia.
The second report put Herdegen’s two-candidate-preferred lead at 57.04 per cent to Tree’s 42.96 per cent on Sunday morning. Both reports described a sharp change in the primary vote since the 2025 state election: One Nation rose from about 8 per cent to 39 per cent, while Labor fell from roughly 46 per cent to 24 per cent. The Liberals recorded about 17 per cent.
The result is significant because Secret Harbour had been regarded as a relatively safe Labor seat; Papalia won it at the general election with an 11.5-point margin. One Nation and its supporters portrayed the outcome as evidence that the party can compete in electorates beyond its traditional support base, while Labor’s result highlighted the difficulties of defending a seat after the departure of a long-serving local member.
The reports also point to campaign-specific factors. The second source says Tree faced criticism over living outside the electorate and her previous employment, while Herdegen was questioned about old social-media material. More broadly, by-elections can attract protest votes and do not necessarily predict a general-election result, but the scale of One Nation’s increase and Labor’s loss made the contest a notable development in Western Australian politics.
Where outlets differ
Source 1 says the count was still continuing and that Labor had not conceded because postal votes might alter the outcome; source 2 reports a 57.04–42.96 two-candidate-preferred result and treats Herdegen’s victory as secured.
Source 1 places the contest in a broader argument about One Nation’s recent gains in both conservative and Labor-held electorates, including Farrer in New South Wales. Source 2 focuses more on the local campaign, the candidates’ backgrounds and comments from party figures.
Source 2 reports that Anthony Albanese was in Western Australia during the campaign but did not appear alongside Tree; this is not raised in source 1.
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