One Nation claims victory in Secret Harbour, but Labor yet to concede

One Nation is primed to convert its popularity in the opinion polls into electoral success in Western Australia, with a 27.4 per cent swing putting Luke Herdegen in the box seat to nix Labor’s efforts to retain Secret Harbour in a bruising byelection for the party.

By 9.30pm, Herdegen had collected a primary vote of 35.8 per cent, ahead of Labor candidate Georgia Tree’s 25 per cent and Liberal candidate Ryan Robertson’s 17.4 per cent.

The preference count showed Herdegen was ahead of Tree by nearly 1000 votes, with a two-party preferred count showing a 3.9 per cent margin.

One Nation claimed victory on Saturday, with WA leader Rod Caddies introducing Herdegen to the crowd of supporters gathered at a party function as “the next member for Secret Harbour”.

However, Labor has refused to concede, and the night has wound down without an official result.

A victory in Secret Harbour would be a historic occasion for One Nation, marking their first lower-house seat in WA.

“You’re witnessing a result they said was impossible,” Caddies told the crowd of One Nation supporters in Karnup.

“A safe seat does not stay safe if you ignore it long enough. Tonight, Labor found it out the hard way. Secret Harbor did not send a protest, it sent a verdict.

“Western Australia just told the rest of the nation the two-party system is dead.”

Herdegen was full of praise for the roomful of volunteers that had helped the campaign.

“They came with their scare tactics. They came with their handlers on the polling booths, and we marched right through it.

“The days of WA Labor having a stranglehold on the outer southern suburbs; those days are over.”

Herdegen told the crowd: “There are no safe Labor seats in this country any more.”

Tree arrived at her function at the Secret Harbour Surf Lifesaving Club just after 9pm alongside WA Premier Roger Cook.