Pauline Hanson's One Nation scores surprise boost as Tyron Whitten wins Senate seat in WA
The result is the first time the party founded by Pauline Hanson has won an upper house seat outside Queensland at a half-Senate election, and came on the same day One Nation's Malcolm Roberts retained his sunshine state seat, defeating Liberal-National party defector Gerard Rennick.
Labor had hoped to win the last Senate spot in WA, bringing its numbers in the chamber to 30. Deep Singh, a former organiser with the United Worker's Union, was in a close race for the last spot.
The Australian Electoral Commission finalised the WA count on Thursday, with Labor's Ellie Whiteaker and Varun Ghosh elected, alongside Liberal Matt O'Sullivan and the Greens' Jordon Steele-John.
One Nation said Whitten, who co-founded the construction services company Whittens with his brother Clayton in 2001, has 'always encouraged his family and those around him to take action when they see injustice or broken policies'.
A profile published by One Nation said he believes in a strong national energy policy, and wants curb overseas arrivals into Australia, blaming migrants for housing costs and pressure on infrastructure and essential services.
'Our government is selling out Australians with policies that benefit corporations and global bureaucracies while leaving our own people struggling. It's time to put Australians first,' Whitten said.
'One Nation holds the values that my grandfather went to war for. It is the least I can do to repay his service to his country and give mine and all Australian families the way of life we sometimes take for granted.'
In social media posts he has criticised multiculturalism and called for migrants to respect Australian values and the country's 'way of life'. He said Australians should speak up against overseas arrivals who try and impose their culture here.
The result means One Nation will have three senators, alongside Hanson, who is up for re-election at the end of the coming term.
The Australian Electoral Officer for Western Australia, Anita Ratcliffe, announced the final distribution of preferences had been completed about 3pm.
'As with all aspects of the count, scrutineers appointed by the candidates were able to witness the automated distribution of preferences undertaken today,' she said.
On social media, One Nation called Whitten's win a 'well-deserved result for a passionate advocate of the people'.
'We look forward to the strong voice he will bring to Parliament on behalf of Western Australians,' the party said.
Along with Roberts, the Liberal-National party's Paul Scarr and Susan McDonald were elected in Queensland, alongside Labor's Nita Green and Corinne Mulholland, and Greens leader Larissa Waters.
Rennick quit the LNP in mid-2024 after being pushed off the Senate ticket in favour of party treasurer Stuart Fraser. Rennick's subsequent challenge to the result was unsuccessful.
Roberts thanked voters for reelecting him and promised to continue his 'mission as a servant to the people of Queensland and Australia.'
Counting is continuing in the Sydney lower house seat of Bradfield, with Liberal Gisele Kapterian ahead of independent Nicollete Boele by 7 votes at 5pm on Thursday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
26 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Pressure on Australia as allies to recognise state of Palestine; Thorpe condemns deaths in custody; and a big stick insect
Good afternoon. Pressure is growing for Australia to recognise a Palestinian state, after Canada announced it would join key allies France and the UK to formally recognise Palestine at the next UN general assembly meeting in September. The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, told reporters that the planned move was predicated on the Palestinian Authority's commitment to reforms, including fundamentally reforming its governance and holding general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part. Carney also said Hamas must release all hostages. The UK's announcement was also conditional, with Keir Starmer saying recognition would occur by September unless Israel held to a ceasefire, calling for the nation to commit to a two-state solution. Jim Chalmers, said he won't put a timeframe on Australian recognition of Palestine but said it's 'a matter of when, not if' it happens, while the Greens called for recognition as soon as possible. The Liberal senator James Paterson said Australia should not follow other countries based on an 'artificial measure of momentum'. Bruce Lehrmann claims police destroyed exonerating evidence and pending rape trial should be abandoned, court hears After-school carer charged with producing child abuse material at six facilities across northern Sydney Sam Groth's wife Brittany publicly defends couple's relationship as they threaten legal action against minister Helen Garner praises 'serious and sensitive' Dua Lipa after musician adds Australian author to her book club FBI opens first office in New Zealand 'to counter China and cybercrime' Fears for South Australia's annual cuttlefish gathering amid deadly algal bloom A newly discovered stick insect which weighs slightly less than a golf ball may be the heaviest insect in Australia, scientists say. The new species, named Acrophylla alta, was found in the high altitudes of the Atherton tablelands in north Queensland – and scientists said the habitat could be part of the reason for its large size. Watch the video here 'These are not just statistics. They are sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, cousins, siblings, grandchildren – lost to a system that continues to harm our people.' – Lidia Thorpe The Victorian independent senator condemned the 'shameful' number of Indigenous deaths in custody, including 17 this year, as the latest figures show just four of 19 Closing the Gap targets are on track to be met. Thorpe moved a condolence motion in the Senate, supported by Labor and the Greens, extending sympathies to the families of the 17 First Nations people who have died in custody this year and urging all parliamentarians to prevent further deaths in custody. Guardian Essential report: Albanese starts second term with solid approval, but Trump presidency looms – Australian Politics podcast As Anthony Albanese readies his second‑term reform agenda, Guardian Australia's Josh Butler speaks with Essential Media's Peter Lewis about the elephant in the room: Australia's dependence on the US and how its high‑stakes defence gambles could shape both his leadership and the nation's strategic future. Listen to the episode here Sign up to Afternoon Update Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Cloudbreak, near the island of Tavarua in western Fiji, is one of the best waves in the world. For decades, the long, hollow left-hand reef break has drawn surfers from around the globe; but until 2010, local surfers were forbidden from surfing the wave due to an exclusivity deal with a nearby surf resort. A decade and a half since Fiji's cabinet made all surfing areas open to the public, 16-year-old James Kusitino has just become Fiji's first professional surfer. Today's starter word is: IFF. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply. Enjoying the Afternoon Update? Then you'll love our Morning Mail newsletter. Sign up here to start the day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know, and complete your daily news roundup. And follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland. If you have a story tip or technical issue viewing this newsletter, please reply to this email. If you are a Guardian supporter and need assistance with regards to contributions and/or digital subscriptions, please email
The Guardian
26 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Queensland police union chief calls state government pay offer ‘grossly inadequate' days after approving it
Queensland's police union chief has conceded a permanent pay increase he approved earlier this week is 'grossly inadequate' and 'insulting' as officers threaten industrial action and the Crisafulli government faces a protracted battle with key unions over pay deals. Under a preliminary deal announced this week, police would receive an 8% pay rise over three years, plus two $4,000 bonuses for general duties officers. The state and union had agreed to the offer in principle on Monday night, but it must go to members before it takes effect. In a press conference with the premier on Tuesday, the Queensland Police Union of Employees' general president, Shane Prior, described the agreement as the 'largest ever' and a product of tough negotiations. But there has been widespread backlash online – with some officers describing it as the 'worst ever'. One officer said they had 'seen better negotiations on Facebook Marketplace'. Officers are now flagging widespread industrial action. Sign up: AU Breaking News email In an email to members on Wednesday, Prior said he still believed the permanent pay offer was 'insulting'. 'At the negotiating table the government was completely inflexible with any departure with its wage policy,' he said. Prior clarified on Thursday that he believed the state wages policy of an 8% pay rise was 'grossly inadequate, and it was insulting,' but that he had negotiated an additional $163m in additional payments. Prior said he had 'got the very best deal possible from the government'. 'I always wanted to achieve a greater state wages policy, but there was simply not going to occur. We needed to adapt, and we did,' he said. The union asked for a 24% pay rise in its log of claim submitted on 1 July, an 8% rise each year for three years. The state government is now locked in negotiations with several public sector unions, after making a basic universal 8% opening offer. The Queensland Nurses' Union has been taking non-strike industrial action since June, while members of the Queensland Teachers' Union will walk off the job next week, striking for the first time since 2009. The QTU president, Cresta Richardson, said members would be among the worst-paid teachers in the country by the end of their EBA, after it received an offer of an 8% pay rise over three years. The Queensland premier, David Crisafulli has consistently told media that his government is negotiating in 'good faith'. In June he said strike action by nurses was 'the last thing we want, and I hope it's the last thing that the union wants as well'. The education minister, John-Paul Langbroek, said the state government wanted to make sure that Queensland teachers are well remunerated and respected, 'and that's something that we've made sure over 17 meetings, over five months'. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Enterprise agreements with will soon run out for the broader public service. They elapsed for firefighters and some Transport and Main Roads workers last month, and will run out for Queensland Corrective Services officers, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce and others next month. 'I have every faith that we will be able to come to terms with the teachers and the nurses, indeed the doctors and the fireys after that,' Crisafulli said on Tuesday. 'We will work with any union who has the interests of the public service at heart, and we will do that in good faith'. Labor's police spokesperson, Glenn Butcher, said on Thursday that the police offer was a 'dud deal' and he expected many officers to vote it down. 'From what we're hearing on the ground today, it is not very positive news for this government in relation to this EBA,' he said. A number of other police unions around the country inked pay deals in the last year. Police will receive a pay rise of 19% over four years in NSW, 18% over four years in Victoria, 12.75% over three years in WA and 11.2% over three years for the AFP. 'This is one of the worst pay deals that's been given to police by any state. So that speaks volumes,' Butcher said. If rejected by police union members the deal will go to arbitration at the Industrial Relations Commission. 'I have every faith that once officers get on, have a look at the calculator, see what this agreement is going to deliver for you, I absolutely think that most of our officers will turn around and see that this is a very reasonable deal,' Prior said on Thursday.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Emma McKeon and other Aussie olympic greats left in angry silence
Emma McKeon was among the Aussie Olympic legends who were left visibly dismayed by a speech by Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley. The athletes had gathered at Parliament House in Canberra to see 121 members of Australia's 1980 Olympic team finally get formally welcomed home. They were denied such a welcome after they defied calls to boycott the Moscow Games due to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. While Anthony Albanese's speech praising the team was warmly received, Ley's effort appeared to have the opposite effect. Though she acknowledged the athletes in the chamber and said they should not have been subject to personal attacks, she also gave credit to those who abided by the boycott including sprinter Raelene Boyle and swimmer Tracey Wickham. 'For many Afghan Australians who emigrated here and are now part of our Australian family ... this boycott mattered,' she told the House of Representatives. 'The decision made by Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser to support the US-led boycott was the right one - and history has judged it so. That decision - correct as it was - takes nothing away from the Australians who did compete.' The Olympians sitting in the public gallery greeted her words with stony faces, with some gasping during parts of the address. None applauded at its conclusion, and many of the team members told News Corp they were 'furious' over Ley's 'tone-deaf' remarks and accused her of politicising the event. Ron McKeon, the father of retired swimming superstar and Australia's most decorated Olympian, Emma, was one of the 1980 competitors. Emma said she had been inspired by her dad, also a swimmer, and wanted to attend Thursday's ceremony to belatedly honour his Olympic participation. 'Dad coached me growing up but never really spoke much about his Olympic experiences,' Emma McKeon said. 'I couldn't imagine going through that - not having the ongoing support of the country - it would have been a huge struggle. I'm so proud of him.' The boycott was the largest in Olympic history, with 45 countries pulling out of the Games as part of the long-running Cold War, leaving just 80 to compete. Though many countries, including the United States, Japan and West Germany took part in a full boycott, Australia supported the boycott in principle but allowed athletes to make up their own mind on whether to participate. Many of the young sports stars were angry at copping backlash for defying the government's stance, even while the then Liberal government continued to trade with the Soviet Union. After most Olympic Games, Australia has celebrated its triumphs and welcomed its athletes back with open arms. Albanese acknowledged their participation and their pain in his speech. 'When you choose to wear the green and gold, you should draw strength from knowing that the whole nation is with you,' he told parliament. 'Yet the returning athletes were met only by cold silence or cruel comments. Today, we fix that... you have earned your place in the history of the game and our nation.' Decathlete Peter Hadfield was subjected to death threats and being spat on after he chose to compete in Moscow. He had previously won the Australian championship in 1976 but was not selected for that year's Olympics in Montreal. 'When the boycott was called in 1980, it looked like I was going to miss out on my second Olympics in a row,' he said. 'I was offered a bribe of almost my entire yearly salary not to go. There was death threats, we were called 'traitors' in the media, family members were spat on.'
