People First’s Gerard Rennick and One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts battle for Queensland’s final Senate seat

Queensland senator Gerard Rennick hopes the flow of preferences from fringe right-wing parties might deliver him victory over One Nation.

Senator Gerard Rennick in Charters Towers during his tour of regional Queensland. Picture: Trudy Brown

Maverick Queensland senator Gerard Rennick believes he is still in with a chance of wrangling the state’s final Senate seat from One Nation.

The former Liberal National Party senator turned leader of his own party, People First, is trailing One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts in the initial count but hopes the flow of preferences from fringe right-wing parties might deliver him to victory. “I’m not out of it, but at this stage I’d rather be in Malcolm’s position,” Mr Rennick said.

One Nation’s vote leads People First by 2.1 per cent. Mr Rennick’s party was preferenced second by the Libertarians and Family First, while Clive Palmer’s Trumpet of Patriots included Rennick’s party.

Mr Palmer did not make a deal with One Nation after party leader Pauline Hanson rejected the businessman’s offer to merge the party and later clashed over preferences deals.

“The question is, there’s 7 per cent there effectively, from other minor right-wing parties that have preferenced me over One Nation, but to what extent they, and the big one being the Trumpet of Patriots … adhere to the preference flow,” Senator Rennick said. “A lot of Trumpet/ UAP (Mr Palmer’s previous political venture, the United Australia Party) voters wouldn’t vote for Pauline. If I got all of their preferences, I’d leapfrog One Nation.”

Queensland One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts in Alice Springs. Picture: Gera Kazakov

It could be weeks until the final outcome is decided.

Senator Rennick defected from the Coalition last year after he narrowly lost the preselection ballot for the third spot on the party’s Senate ticket to LNP treasurer Stuart Fraser by three votes. His subsequent appeal of the vote was fruitless.

People First paid about two dozen people to hand out how-to-vote cards in the final week of the campaign, in addition to the party’s 1000 volunteers, Senator Rennick said.

Labor has claimed a second seat in the Senate, securing a second tenure for Nita Green and a seat for former Star Entertainment lobbyist Corinne Mulholland.

“What Queensland has told us last night in overwhelming numbers was enough was enough,” Ms Mulholland said. “They want a team that’s going to show up, speak up, and fight for Queensland.”

The Liberal Nationals are also on track to secure another term for Susan McDonald and Paul Scarr, while the Greens’ Senate leader, Larissa Waters, is also likely to hold on.