Australia’s far-right One Nation party wins closely watched vote

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.



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.