Jacqui Lambie has secured her position in the federal parliament for another six years by winning one of Tasmania’s Senate seats, while Pauline Hanson’s daughter, Lee, fell short in her bid. The last Senate seat from Tasmania was anticipated to be a contest between Lambie and Hanson, but the outcome saw Lambie finishing in fifth place. Instead, Liberal candidate Richard Colbeck claimed the sixth and final spot, enabling his party to have two senators from Tasmania.
In addition to Lambie’s win, the Labor Party successfully elected two members, finishing first and fourth, while Nick McKim from the Greens also gained a seat. Lee Hanson, however, did not garner enough votes to follow in her contentious mother’s footsteps into the Senate.
On the same day, the Australian Electoral Commission announced the results for the upper house. Notably, Labor’s Charlotte Walker, who celebrated her 21st birthday on election night, achieved a milestone by becoming the youngest senator in the country, winning the sixth position from South Australia.
Labor’s Malarndirri McCarthy and Liberal’s Jacinta Nampijinpa Price were re-elected in the Northern Territory, although results from five additional states and territories are still pending. Labor has made significant gains in South Australia, New South Wales, and Queensland, with potential victories in Victoria and Western Australia, positioning them to have more senators than the Liberals and Nationals for the first time since 1984.
This shift means that Labor will only require the support of the Greens to pass legislation in the upper house, a substantial change in the political landscape.