Arabic version: انتخابات سيكريت هاربور تختبر حزب «أمة واحدة» في أستراليا الغربية

According to ABC News, voters in Secret Harbour, in Perth’s southern suburbs, are choosing a new representative for Western Australia’s parliament in a by-election viewed as a major test for One Nation. The poll follows the retirement last month of former minister Paul Papalia, who represented the long-held Labor electorate for almost two decades.

Labor’s candidate is Georgia Tree, 34, a former staffer to federal Resources Minister Madeleine King and a former Woodside lobbyist. Liberal candidate Ryan Robertson, 35, is a City of Rockingham councillor, former submariner, real estate agent and podcast host. The Nationals will not contest the seat and have urged supporters to back the Liberals.

One Nation is represented by gym owner and former champion weightlifter Luke Herdegen. The party’s candidate won 8.4 per cent of the primary vote in Secret Harbour at the 2025 election, more than double its state-wide average. Labor won the seat at that election with an 11.5 per cent margin.

Other candidates include Greens representative Rhi Davies and Legalise Cannabis candidate Craig Buchanan. Cost of living and housing have been key concerns in the outer southern suburbs, which have a growing population of young families moving into new housing developments.

Professor John Phillimore, director of the John Curtin Institute for Public Policy, said the contest was a critical test for One Nation ahead of Victoria’s state election. The result is being watched nationally as an indication of the challenge the party may pose to Labor and the Liberals. Polls close at 6pm WST.