Queensland election results 2017: One Nation claims its first seat

PAULINE Hanson has congratulated new member for Mirani Stephen Andrew on his election victory and has declared he won’t be the last PHON member to be elected, saying candidates in five other seats were “looking strong”.

PAULINE Hanson has congratulated new member for Mirani Stephen Andrew on his election victory and has declared he won’t be the last PHON member to be elected, saying candidates in five other seats were “looking strong”.

With more than 75 per cent of the vote in Mirani now counted, Mr Andrew has secured enough preferences to take the top job from Labor MP Jim Pearce.

While Stephen Andrew waits for his first day in State Parliament, the Daily Mercury reports he continues to live his ordinary life and was yesterday up in the roof changing a washer on the plumbing to his washing machine.

The gun-toting business owner is an action man. Last week he says he killed 53 pigs, three feral cats and three feral dogs at Burton Coal Mine.

He has promised to take this all-action philosophy to Parliament and will demand the government stop its reports and commissions and start delivering for the people of regional Queensland.

He wants to prioritise the Sarina Range, which has been closed since it was damaged during Tropical Cyclone Debbie; the Rookwood Weir; and he wants a coal-fired power station in North Queensland.

One Nation’s Stephen Andrew is the first PHON candidate to be elected to State Parliament in the 2017 election. Picture: Tony Martin

“If we can get stuff going, make things move - people have their requests when they find an issue in the electorate but everything has sat on the back burner for so long,” Mr Andrew said. “It’s been very hectic. Being a self-funded politician in an underdog situation. But it’s been good and I’ve found it quite rewarding. I’ve learnt pretty quickly. It’s amazing how many good people from the community will step up and get behind you. It seems that a lot of people have had enough (of the major parties).”

After preferences, Mr Andrew was on Tuesday night leading Mr Pearce by about 2000 votes.

“Jim and I exchanged a lot of ­conversations over the last week – I’ve never said a bad word about Jim.

“He does what he does and who am I to make any judgment on what he’s done and what he hasn’t done. At the end of the day it’s the people’s say,” he said.

Mr Andrew said it would take some time to find his feet in Parliament, given his lack of experience, but he was excited to be the first One Nation representative in the house.

“It’s going to be a big job and it’s going to be a lot of work, and it’s going to be a lot of frustrating times to get my head around it all and get inside and do the best I can for the electorate and for Queensland,” he said.