One Nation Claims 7 Seats in SA Election as Last Result Hangs on Recount

Nearly two weeks on, One Nation is confident it has won seven seats at the South Australian state election including four lower house and three upper house seats.

Counting shows the conservative-leaning One Nation is still on track for three of lower house seats, but the fourth seat of Narungga on the Yorke Peninsula is subject to a recount due to its narrow margin.

One Nation’s Chantelle Thomas leads by just 77 votes, holding 50.2 percent of the vote compared to the centre-right Liberal Party’s Tania Stock on 49.8 percent after preferences.

Overall, Labor secured a record-breaking landslide on March 21, handing Premier Peter Malinauskas a second term.

Which Seats Did One Nation Win?

One Nation’s 20 percent swing saw it make substantial gains across most seats, but after the distribution of preference votes, the party managed to take the regional electorates of Hammond, MacKillop, and Ngadjuri off the Liberals.

Hammond is located to the south-east of Adelaide and includes the farming areas and the city of Murray Bridge.

Mackillop is also in the south-east but closer to the Victorian border, including regional towns like Bordertown, Keith, Naracoorte, Millicent and Robe.

While Ngadjuri is in South Australia’s mid north and covers the wine region of the Clare Valley and regional towns including Auburn, Two Wells, Saddleworth, and Eudunda.

Overall the Pauline Hanson-led party secured 22.5 percent of the primary vote compared to 37.6 percent for Labor and 19.4 percent for the Liberals.

One Nation praised South Australia leader Cory Bernardi.

“He knows how the system works, and more importantly, how to hold it accountable. His focus on economic scrutiny, national sovereignty, and standing up for everyday Australians has set the tone for a strong, effective team in SA,” the party said on X.

Hanson Promises to Go Hard for Farrer By-election and Victoria

Hanson said there was a mood for change.

“People want change. They are sick and tired of these political parties. They don’t have vision for the future, they don’t have answers, we are in the dire mess that we are in this country because of their policies under both of them,” the senator told Sky News Australia.

Hanson was confident her party could “win Farrer next” and then will be “going after Victoria” at the end of this year. The result could also be wildly different given the popularity of current Premier Jacinta Allan is markedly lower than Malinauskas, according to polls.

What About Liberal and Labor?

The Liberal Party has won just five seats in the lower house and two in the upper house—along with four existing members—and will likely retain opposition status.

Leader Ashton Hurn also intends to stay on.

“Not every season goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t rain when you want it to, and sometimes the crop that you are growing doesn’t produce the goods. But that doesn’t mean you walk off the land, you stay and you fight another day, because you love what you do,” she told party faithful on election night.

Hurn only took over as leader three months before the election after polls showed former leader Vincent  Tarzia was not gaining traction in metropolitan Adelaide seats.

Prior to Tarzia, David Speirs served at the helm before he was convicted of supplying drugs.

Meanwhile, Labor Premier Peter Malinauskas has unveiled his new ministry with Tom Koutsantonis, who has been in parliament since 1997, retaining the role of treasurer.

The Labor Party holds 34 seats in the lower house.