Australia’s Populist One Nation Party Scores Historic Breakthrough With Special Election Victory

Australia’s populist One Nation has claimed a major electoral breakthrough in Western Australia, capturing the state seat of Secret Harbor and dealing a major defeat to leftist Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his governing Labor Party.

One Nation candidate Luke Herdegen secured approximately 57 percent of the two-party-preferred vote against Labor’s Georgia Tree.

The result marks an important breakthrough for Pauline Hanson’s party, demonstrating its growing national support.

The by-election was triggered by the midterm retirement of senior Labor Minister Paul Papalia.

One Nation’s Western Australian leader, Rod Caddies, declared victory on Saturday evening, predicting the result would send “shock waves across the entire country.”

“There are no safe Labor seats in this state or in this country any more,” Caddies said.

One Nation can win seats off Labor that the Coalition couldn’t dream of winning. The result in Secret Harbour puts paid do the myth that we only take votes off the coalition. Labor voters on a historic scale swung to One Nation. This was one of WA Labor’s safest seats. pic.twitter.com/XlDsYKR23w

— One Nation Australia (@OneNationAus) August 29, 2026

Hanson similarly hailed the result as evidence that her party is becoming a serious electoral force capable of challenging Australia’s two major parties.

“The result in Secret Harbour should be a warning to Labor, we’re coming for more of your seats,” she wrote on X.

“Australians are choosing One Nation as a serious alternative to the tired old uni-party who have destroyed our nations economic prowess.”

One Nation has taken a seat where the Liberals have never been able to challenge Labor.

We are the only party that can take the fight to Anthony Albanese where the Liberal Party never could.

Because Australians are looking for someone who will actually stand up for them.

We’re…

— Pauline Hanson 🇦🇺 (@PaulineHansonOz) August 29, 2026

Former Nationals leader and current One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce said the victory demonstrated that the party’s strong polling numbers were translating into actual votes.

“Politics has changed,” Joyce said, arguing that One Nation was increasingly attracting former Labor supporters.

THE RIGHT THING: Australian Populist Rightwing One Nation Party Surges in the Polls, Becomes the Country’s Most Popular

One Nation campaigns on lower immigration, tougher law and order, Australian economic nationalism, opposition to net-zero policies, and resistance to progressive policies on race and gender.

The result was also a bruising one for the establishment Liberal Party, which finished a distant third with just 17 percent of the primary vote.

Liberal frontbencher Jonno Duniam conceded the party had suffered a bad result.

“That is not a good outcome for my party, and it’s one that we need to look hard at and rectify,” Duniam said.

The result gives One Nation a notable foothold in Western Australia and bolsters its hopes of taking further seats in the future.