One Nation’s breakthrough win in the Western Australian seat of Secret Harbour should serve as a warning to major parties that voters who feel ignored are increasingly willing to reject them, former independent candidate Kate Hulett has said.
Luke Herdegen’s victory over WA Labor candidate Georgia Tree in the by-election on Saturday delivered One Nation its first lower-house seat in Western Australia and overturned a long-standing Labor stronghold in Perth’s southern suburbs.
The result was called for One Nation by the ABC’s chief elections and data analyst Casey Briggs soon after counting began. The Western Australian Electoral Commission cautioned that the result remained indicative until postal votes received by 9am on Thursday, September 3, are included.
Hulett, who ran as a community-backed independent in Fremantle in 2025, argued that Labor had underestimated dissatisfaction in Secret Harbour by selecting a candidate who lived outside the electorate and worked as a lobbyist for energy company Woodside.
She said the choice reflected a party increasingly distant from the concerns of ordinary working people, pointing to pressure over housing, living costs and infrastructure in the outer suburbs.
Secret Harbour had been represented by Labor veteran Paul Papalia, who resigned in July after holding the seat and its predecessors since 2007. At the 2025 state election, Labor retained the electorate with an 11.5 per cent margin.
Premier Roger Cook had described the by-election as a “fight for our lives” for WA Labor. Before the result was known, he acknowledged that voters were concerned about their lifestyles and financial futures.
Herdegen, a gym owner who moved to Western Australia in 2023, campaigned on issues including housing pressures, rubbish collection and migration. After his victory, he said: “There are no safe Labor seats in this state or in this country anymore.”
One Nation’s WA leader, Rod Caddies, said the result showed that voters were seeking an alternative to Labor and the Liberals. The party had never previously won a seat in the state’s lower house.
Secret Harbour exposes frustration with major parties
Hulett said the result reflected a broader sense that governments were prioritising corporate interests while avoiding policies supported by many voters, including measures on gas exports, gambling advertising and public housing.
She also questioned whether One Nation voters had been united by a detailed policy programme, suggesting the party’s success was instead being driven by a broad mood of discontent and a desire to punish the established parties.
“When you feel ignored, you look for attention elsewhere,” Hulett wrote, arguing that the by-election should encourage communities to support representatives who were independent of corporate interests and closely connected to local voters.
The scale of the swing will be watched closely by Labor and other parties ahead of future elections. While by-elections can produce results that differ from general elections, the loss of a seat regarded as safe Labor territory represents a significant setback for a party that has dominated Western Australian politics for almost a decade.
