Latest news with #MalcolmRoberts
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Why Pauline Hanson is the surprise massive WINNER of the election
The final make up of the Senate after the federal election has been decided, with One Nation claiming the final seat to equal its best standing in federal parliament. One Nation's Warwick Stacey won the sixth slot in NSW after the Australian Electoral Commission declared the results for the state on Friday. Labor was expected to pick up the final seat in NSW, but a strong flow of preferences meant the One Nation candidate was able to get over the line. It means Pauline Hanson 's party will have four senators in the next parliament, equalling its high watermark from 2016. Mr Stacey will join Senator Hanson alongside re-elected Queensland senator Malcolm Roberts and the newly elected Tyron Whitten from Western Australia. The other five senators elected from NSW included Labor's Tony Sheldon and Tim Ayres, Liberals Andrew Bragg and Jessica Collins as well as Mehreen Faruqi from the Greens. Labor will have 28 senators in the 76-seat upper house, with the coalition having 27, the Greens with 11, One Nation with four and the remaining six being independents or from minor parties. A total of 39 votes is needed to pass laws in the Senate, meaning Labor can ensure passage of bills with the support of just the Greens or the coalition. It comes as the Australian Electoral Commission launched an investigation after almost half of all votes from a polling place were ruled as informal. Of the 111 people who voted at a polling booth in Missabotti near Coffs Harbour in the seat of Cowper, 50 ballots for the lower house were filled out incorrectly. Residents from the area told the ABC they were informed by election staff to number both ballot papers from one to six, despite there being 11 candidates. Ballots for the House of Representatives must have all boxes numbered in order of preference to be deemed valid. A minimum of six boxes must be filled out on the Senate ballot paper for the party of the voter's choice. The high informal votes would not have affected the outcome in the seat, with Nationals MP Pat Conaghan winning by more than 5,000 votes. 'If the reports from Cowper are accurate and our staff were providing incorrect instructions, this is disappointing,' an electoral commission spokesman said. 'The AEC takes ballot paper formality very seriously - our intention is always to maximise the number of voters who are able to participate in a federal election by casting a formal vote.'
News.com.au
6 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
One Nation gets one extra seat in the Senate with incoming WA senator Tyron Whitten
One Nation has picked up another Senate seat, with Western Australian candidate Tyron Whitten winning the sixth and final spot at the May 3 election. The Australian Electoral Commission finalised the WA Senate makeup on Thursday, with the businessman winning a seat alongside Labor's Ellie Whiteaker and Varun Ghosh, the Greens' Jordon Steele-John and Liberal senators Slade Brockman and Matt O'Sullivan. Mr Whitten is one of three co-founders of his family civil construction company Whitten, which says it employs 1000 people and has an annual turnover of more than $180m. His win increases One Nation's Senate footprint from two to three senators, including Pauline Hanson, after the AEC confirmed Queensland senator Malcolm Roberts would also be returned. Senator Roberts took to X to thank voters for his re-election, and welcomed the party's gain. 'One Nation is going to increase its Senate representation by 50 per cent with a new Senator from WA also elected after coming agonisingly close in Victoria and South Australia,' he wrote. Senator Roberts beat out LNP defector Gerard Rennick, who quit the party after he was booted from the Senate ticket. Labor also won an extra seat in Queensland, with former casino lobbyist Corrinne Mulholland winning a spot alongside incumbent senator Nita Green. LNP senators Susan McDonald and Paul Scarr were returned, as was new Greens leader Larissa Waters. While the results for the NSW Senate battle have yet to be finalised, Labor is set to increase its numbers to 28, which means it will be able to pass legislation with the support of the 11 Greens senators. As is stands the Coalition are projected to hold 27 Senate spots.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Pauline Hanson's One Nation scores surprise boost as Tyron Whitten wins Senate seat in WA
One Nation has secured a surprise boost to its numbers in federal Parliament, after businessman Tyron Whitten won Western Australia's sixth Senate seat. 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.
ABC News
6 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
One Nation's Malcolm Roberts returned to the Senate for Queensland, Gerard Rennick gets the boot
One Nation's Malcolm Roberts has held onto his Senate seat from Queensland, as former LNP Senator Gerard Rennick is booted from federal parliament. The Australian Electoral Commission officially declared Queensland's Senate election results on Thursday, with Labor gaining an extra position. It means of the six Senate seats up for grabs, Labor has won two, the LNP has secured two, the Greens have taken out one, and One Nation has also won one. Senator Roberts was elected to a second consecutive term — securing the sixth Senate position in Queensland ahead of Senator Rennick. Senator Rennick was elected in 2019 as an LNP candidate but later resigned from the party after he was defeated in a pre-selection ballot. In the 2025 poll, he ran as a candidate for his own party, People First. Senator Roberts will rejoin fellow One Nation senator Pauline Hanson, whose term is not due to expire for another three years. Labor's Nita Green was also returned to the Senate, with Corine Mulholland joining her as the second Labor candidate to win a Senate spot in Queensland. LNP Senators Susan McDonald and Paul Scarr were both re-elected. Senator McDonald will sit in the Coalition's shadow cabinet with the resources and northern Australia portfolio. The Greens' Larissa Waters, who was first elected to the Senate in 2011, has reclaimed her seat. She came in fifth in the Senate count for Queensland. Senator Waters was recently made the leader of her party after Adam Bandt lost his seat of Melbourne in the House of Representatives. Australian Electoral Officer for Queensland Stephanie Attard said preferences were distributed on Thursday. "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.
Sky News AU
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
AI ‘mistake': Malcolm Roberts addresses mishap over election campaign image
As the federal election approaches, One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts addressed an image used as part of the party's election campaign, which received attention due to its odd depiction. The image, paired with the phrase 'Bring back the Australian dream' depicted a family gathered in a backyard. However, upon closer inspection, there seemed to be several issues with the image, from a child with a missing leg, unnaturally long limbs, cut-off arms, and an extra arm that appeared to belong to no one. Speaking with Sky News Australia, Mr Roberts was asked to clarify whether the strange elements in the image were intentional or the result of a hasty AI-generated graphic. 'We actually took a very good photo of a family, a real family, sitting down with me on the ground having a picnic, an Australia Day function that we ran on the northern end of the Gold Coast. And instead of using that photo, and I don't know why, because we're using it on our brochures, our flyers, the person who made the meme used an AI-generated one,' Mr Roberts said. 'Yes, Australian families are not typically with seven fingers on one hand or having an extra arm pop out of their shoulders. So, yeah, that was a mistake.'
