Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party has stormed back into the federal Senate with a vengeance. They’ve managed to get themselves four seats in the next parliament. This is an incredible transformation for the party, which went through significant internal conflict and average governance during their last term. These recent elections have once again restored One Nation’s representation to levels not seen since the April 2016 double dissolution election.
Australian Electoral Commission on Friday morning reaffirmed that Tyron Whitten had claimed the last Senate seat in Western Australia. On the flip side, with this majority-holding victory, One Nation netted every state’s last seat in both WA and NSW. Compared with other crossbench senators like David Pocock, Jacqui Lambie, and Tammy Tyrrell, the party’s gains have put it at an advantage — for now at least. All up, the crossbench will include four One Nation senators representing a hugely expanded political influence.
A Return to Historical Heights
One Nation, which recently emerged from a dark period of their own. This period was marked by internal division and scandal, most famously the citizenship debacle that saw the resignation of numerous party members, including Senator Hanson. In the past, Senator Hanson and Malcolm Roberts were the sole representatives from One Nation. The new election results reveal a tidal wave of public support—human power—behind the party. This change has paved the way for the centralized party to retake its historic peaks.
It’s hard to overstate just how important increased representation is. She thinks it will give One Nation the strength to more effectively promote their top issues. In a leaked interview with Sky News over the weekend, she didn’t hold back in her condemnation of Australia’s climate policy. She unapologetically announced, “Climate change is a hoax and it’s not benefiting the Australian people. It’s actually putting them into more hurt and pain.” Further, this statement highlights One Nation’s intention to push back against new climate commitments.
Political Landscape and Implications
That split in the new Senate’s composition reflects an incredibly tight political balance across the country. The government will have 28 senators, one more than the Coalition bloc, as the logic-defying situation of the Greens having protected 11 Senate seats. Labor was poised to pick up further seats in both Western Australia and New South Wales. Yet One Nation performed brilliantly in these key states, restraining Labor from achieving their target.
This major realignment in representation has ignited debate over where the balance of power lies and the possible impact of new, minor party players on legislative agendas. For every senator elected, One Nation increases the Nationals’ representation in the upper house – and with four, they would equal the Nationals. Doing so would significantly increase its impact on political matters.
“We will stand firm on our policies, we will advocate what we stand for and we will hold the government to account and state our case to the Australian public.”
