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Jacqui Lambie fends off Pauline Hanson's daughter Lee Hanson to retain her Upper House seat in parliament

Jacqui Lambie fends off Pauline Hanson's daughter Lee Hanson to retain her Upper House seat in parliament

7NEWS6 days ago

Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie has retained her seat in the federal Senate.
She fended off One Nation's Lee Hanson, daughter of the party's founder Pauline Hanson, for one of six Tasmanian spots in the Upper House.
The Senate count following the May 3 federal election came down to the wire, generating speculation over the state's winners for weeks,.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) confirmed the positions on Tuesday.
The other five places will be filled by Labor's Carol Brown and Richard Dowling, Liberal's Claire Chandler and Richard Colbeck, and Nick McKim from the Greens.
In order of election, The Jacqui Lambie Network came in fifth followed by Colbeck.
The formal declaration of the poll for the Tasmanian Senate is set for Thursday.
Lee Hanson celebrated her mother Pauline's birthday before acknowledging the loss.
'Unfortunately, I did not pick up a seat, falling just short,' she said on Facebook.
'While I personally had a very short campaign of approximately one month, we did exceptionally well, raising the vote here in Tasmania.
'It is however just the beginning. I truly care about this country, the beautiful state of Tasmania and our people. I will continue to advocate for what I believe is best for us, championing common sense and holding politicians to account.'
Meanwhile, South Australia now has a new young female Senator.
Labor's Charlotte Walker, 21, secured the state's third spot in the Senate.
In the lower chamber, two seats are undergoing recounts amid fierce contests.
Election officials in the north Sydney seat of Bradfield are undertaking a full recount after just eight votes separated Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian from independent challenger Nicolette Boele.
Meanwhile, a partial recount is underway in the inner-Melbourne seat of Goldstein, where independent Zoe Daniel was fending off Liberal candidate Tim Wilson.
The full distribution put Wilson ahead of the incumbent by 260 votes.
The Bradfield recount could take up to two weeks, while the tally in Goldstein is expected to take four days and will begin on Wednesday.

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Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett intervenes to 'implore' Liberal Party pay failed ex Leader John Pesutto's $2.3 million debt
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Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett intervenes to 'implore' Liberal Party pay failed ex Leader John Pesutto's $2.3 million debt

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West Australian senator Dorinda Cox has defected from the Greens to Labor. Senator Cox, who was first elected to the upper house in 2021 to fill a vacancy for the Greens, said her values had aligned more with Labor. She approached Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, offering to join Labor and bolster its ranks in the Senate. "I've worked hard to make Australia fairer and much more reconciled, but recently, I've lost some confidence in the capacity for the Greens to assist me in being able to progress this," Senator Cox told reporters in Perth on Monday. "I feel reassured with my experience, my skills and my knowledge, I can continue to collaborate and build on the existing relationships with an already amazing team of Labor MPs across the country." Senator Cox, who was a member of the Labor Party before she joined the Greens, will be formally admitted into Labor on Tuesday. 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Mr Albanese said the allegations had been examined. "They were all dealt with in Senator Cox's case and dealt with appropriately," he said. Senator Cox only informed Greens leader Larissa Waters of her decision to leave the party 90 minutes before her defection was announced. She will join the government ranks despite having made previous comments critical of Labor policy. Senator Cox had previously spoken out against Woodside's North-West Shelf gas project, which Labor on Wednesday granted an extension until 2070. Pressed on her previous opposition to the project, Senator Cox said she did not want to comment on the issue as the extension was still being provisionally approved. "Obviously, I will be working with the Labor government now to ensure that we tread a pathway forward in ensuring that there's a delivery of what's required for the Australian public, particularly for the West Australian public," she said. "I would need to look at the provisional approval that's been made by (Environment Minister Murray Watt)." Senator Cox also criticised the Albanese government in August, saying it was not interested in closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. She had also said Australia was complicit in "making Israel's war crimes possible" in reference to the conflict in the Middle East. West Australian senator Dorinda Cox has defected from the Greens to Labor. Senator Cox, who was first elected to the upper house in 2021 to fill a vacancy for the Greens, said her values had aligned more with Labor. She approached Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, offering to join Labor and bolster its ranks in the Senate. "I've worked hard to make Australia fairer and much more reconciled, but recently, I've lost some confidence in the capacity for the Greens to assist me in being able to progress this," Senator Cox told reporters in Perth on Monday. "I feel reassured with my experience, my skills and my knowledge, I can continue to collaborate and build on the existing relationships with an already amazing team of Labor MPs across the country." Senator Cox, who was a member of the Labor Party before she joined the Greens, will be formally admitted into Labor on Tuesday. Mr Albanese said Senator Cox, the first Indigenous woman to represent WA in the upper house, would be a welcome addition to the government benches. "She wants to be part of a team that's delivering progress for this country by being a part of a government that can make decisions, to make a difference," he said. "Dorinda Cox is someone who's a former police officer. She's someone who has a lot to offer in terms of policy development." The senator said improvements for Indigenous people would be more achievable within the government than from the crossbench. "It was a decision that I made, and I made that based on some deep reflection," she said. "It was one that I considered both at a professional level, but also at a personal level. So this wasn't a decision that I did on the hop or based on emotion." Senator Cox was accused of bullying staffers in 2024, with as many as 20 employees leaving in three years and complaints made to parliament's workplace support service. Mr Albanese said the allegations had been examined. "They were all dealt with in Senator Cox's case and dealt with appropriately," he said. Senator Cox only informed Greens leader Larissa Waters of her decision to leave the party 90 minutes before her defection was announced. She will join the government ranks despite having made previous comments critical of Labor policy. Senator Cox had previously spoken out against Woodside's North-West Shelf gas project, which Labor on Wednesday granted an extension until 2070. Pressed on her previous opposition to the project, Senator Cox said she did not want to comment on the issue as the extension was still being provisionally approved. "Obviously, I will be working with the Labor government now to ensure that we tread a pathway forward in ensuring that there's a delivery of what's required for the Australian public, particularly for the West Australian public," she said. "I would need to look at the provisional approval that's been made by (Environment Minister Murray Watt)." Senator Cox also criticised the Albanese government in August, saying it was not interested in closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. She had also said Australia was complicit in "making Israel's war crimes possible" in reference to the conflict in the Middle East. West Australian senator Dorinda Cox has defected from the Greens to Labor. Senator Cox, who was first elected to the upper house in 2021 to fill a vacancy for the Greens, said her values had aligned more with Labor. She approached Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, offering to join Labor and bolster its ranks in the Senate. "I've worked hard to make Australia fairer and much more reconciled, but recently, I've lost some confidence in the capacity for the Greens to assist me in being able to progress this," Senator Cox told reporters in Perth on Monday. "I feel reassured with my experience, my skills and my knowledge, I can continue to collaborate and build on the existing relationships with an already amazing team of Labor MPs across the country." Senator Cox, who was a member of the Labor Party before she joined the Greens, will be formally admitted into Labor on Tuesday. Mr Albanese said Senator Cox, the first Indigenous woman to represent WA in the upper house, would be a welcome addition to the government benches. "She wants to be part of a team that's delivering progress for this country by being a part of a government that can make decisions, to make a difference," he said. "Dorinda Cox is someone who's a former police officer. She's someone who has a lot to offer in terms of policy development." The senator said improvements for Indigenous people would be more achievable within the government than from the crossbench. "It was a decision that I made, and I made that based on some deep reflection," she said. "It was one that I considered both at a professional level, but also at a personal level. So this wasn't a decision that I did on the hop or based on emotion." Senator Cox was accused of bullying staffers in 2024, with as many as 20 employees leaving in three years and complaints made to parliament's workplace support service. Mr Albanese said the allegations had been examined. "They were all dealt with in Senator Cox's case and dealt with appropriately," he said. Senator Cox only informed Greens leader Larissa Waters of her decision to leave the party 90 minutes before her defection was announced. She will join the government ranks despite having made previous comments critical of Labor policy. Senator Cox had previously spoken out against Woodside's North-West Shelf gas project, which Labor on Wednesday granted an extension until 2070. Pressed on her previous opposition to the project, Senator Cox said she did not want to comment on the issue as the extension was still being provisionally approved. "Obviously, I will be working with the Labor government now to ensure that we tread a pathway forward in ensuring that there's a delivery of what's required for the Australian public, particularly for the West Australian public," she said. "I would need to look at the provisional approval that's been made by (Environment Minister Murray Watt)." Senator Cox also criticised the Albanese government in August, saying it was not interested in closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. She had also said Australia was complicit in "making Israel's war crimes possible" in reference to the conflict in the Middle East. West Australian senator Dorinda Cox has defected from the Greens to Labor. Senator Cox, who was first elected to the upper house in 2021 to fill a vacancy for the Greens, said her values had aligned more with Labor. She approached Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, offering to join Labor and bolster its ranks in the Senate. "I've worked hard to make Australia fairer and much more reconciled, but recently, I've lost some confidence in the capacity for the Greens to assist me in being able to progress this," Senator Cox told reporters in Perth on Monday. "I feel reassured with my experience, my skills and my knowledge, I can continue to collaborate and build on the existing relationships with an already amazing team of Labor MPs across the country." Senator Cox, who was a member of the Labor Party before she joined the Greens, will be formally admitted into Labor on Tuesday. Mr Albanese said Senator Cox, the first Indigenous woman to represent WA in the upper house, would be a welcome addition to the government benches. "She wants to be part of a team that's delivering progress for this country by being a part of a government that can make decisions, to make a difference," he said. "Dorinda Cox is someone who's a former police officer. She's someone who has a lot to offer in terms of policy development." The senator said improvements for Indigenous people would be more achievable within the government than from the crossbench. "It was a decision that I made, and I made that based on some deep reflection," she said. "It was one that I considered both at a professional level, but also at a personal level. So this wasn't a decision that I did on the hop or based on emotion." Senator Cox was accused of bullying staffers in 2024, with as many as 20 employees leaving in three years and complaints made to parliament's workplace support service. Mr Albanese said the allegations had been examined. "They were all dealt with in Senator Cox's case and dealt with appropriately," he said. Senator Cox only informed Greens leader Larissa Waters of her decision to leave the party 90 minutes before her defection was announced. She will join the government ranks despite having made previous comments critical of Labor policy. Senator Cox had previously spoken out against Woodside's North-West Shelf gas project, which Labor on Wednesday granted an extension until 2070. Pressed on her previous opposition to the project, Senator Cox said she did not want to comment on the issue as the extension was still being provisionally approved. "Obviously, I will be working with the Labor government now to ensure that we tread a pathway forward in ensuring that there's a delivery of what's required for the Australian public, particularly for the West Australian public," she said. "I would need to look at the provisional approval that's been made by (Environment Minister Murray Watt)." Senator Cox also criticised the Albanese government in August, saying it was not interested in closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. She had also said Australia was complicit in "making Israel's war crimes possible" in reference to the conflict in the Middle East.

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