WA election: Pauline Hanson’s One Nation in line for two seats in upper house

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation ­appears to have secured two seats in Western Australia’s upper house.

Pauline Hanson with WA One Nation leader Colin Tincknell. Picture: Ian Munro

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation ­appears to have secured two seats in Western Australia’s upper house after taking 7.6 per cent of the vote in the upper house.

The party originally appeared likely to pick up just one upper-house seat, a big disappointment given its stated hope to win at least three seats and hold the balance of power in the Legislative Council.

One Nation’s state leader, Colin Tincknell, will represent One Nation in the South-West district, while Mining and Pastoral candidate Robin Scott is on track with 14 per cent of the vote.

Labor seems likely to have 14 seats in the new Legislative Council, while the Liberals should have 10, the Nationals four and the Greens three. The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers are on track for two seats and the Liberal Democrats could win one.

This would leave Labor and the Greens needing the support of two other MPs to pass difficult bills, bypassing the Liberals and Nationals.

One Nation’s 7.6 per cent vote in the upper house is better than the 4.7 per cent it took in the lower house, where it did not come close to winning a seat. However, it won 8.1 per cent of the vote in the 35 lower house seats it contested.

Counting continued yesterday in close seats across the state.

Nationals leader Brendon Grylls remains 300 votes behind Labor’s Kevin Michel in Pilbara.

There was no update in Jandakot, where Liberal leadership aspirant Joe Francis was 26 votes behind Labor’s Yaz Mubarakai.