One Nation Continues to Lead Vote Count in 4 South Australian Seats

The conservative-leaning One Nation is currently leading the count in four lower house seats from the weekend’s South Australian election.

While Labor Premier Peter Malinauskas secured his second term in a landslide, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation outpolled the Liberal Party across the state.

As of March 24, One Nation secured 22.2 percent of the primary vote, a swing of 19.7 points in its favour, while the legacy centre-right Liberal Party recorded its lowest-ever primary vote of 19 percent, a swing of 16.7 points against it.

Labor secured 37.6 percent, down 2.4 points compared to the previous election.

Despite polling ahead of the Liberal Party in the state election, One Nation’s vote does not necessarily translate into seats, as preferences from independent and Labor candidates help the Liberals get ahead in a number of electorates.

The State of Play

In the seat of Narungga, north-west of Adelaide, One Nation’s Chantelle Thomas is narrowly ahead with 50.3 percent of the two-party preferred vote, compared to 49.7 percent for the Liberal Party’s Tania Stock.

One Nation has achieved a sizeable 38.6 percent of the primary vote in this seat, compared to 21.8 percent for the Liberals.

Meanwhile in Mackillop, a regional electorate south-east of Adelaide, One Nation’s Jason Virgo is leading the Liberal Party’s Rebekah Rosser 51 percent to 49 percent on the two-party preferred count.

Again, One Nation recorded a much higher primary vote than the Liberals, at 35.5 percent compared to 22.9 percent.

In Ngadjuri, One Nation’s David Paton is well ahead on a two-party preferred basis with 57.1 percent of the vote, compared to Labor’s Tony Piccolo on 42.9 percent.

One Nation has achieved 34.7 percent of the primary vote in this seat, compared to 29 percent for Labor, and 26.2 percent for Liberal.

In Hammond, another regional seat east of Adelaide, One Nation is ahead with 54.2 percent of the two-party preferred vote compared to Labor on 45.8 percent.

Labor holds 27.4 percent of the primary vote in this seat, with One Nation on 27 percent, and the Liberals on 22.1 percent. Liberal preferences are expected to push One Nation over the line.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Party is still in the running for two more seats.

With 70.3 percent of the votes counted, the Liberals are ahead in Heysen with 50.2 percent of the two-party preferred vote compared to 49.8 percent for the Labor.

In the beachside seat of Morphett, in Adelaide’s south-west, the contest is extremely close, with the Liberal Party leading by just a few dozen votes over Labor. The candidates are roughly neck and neck, each with about 50 percent of the two-party preferred vote.

In addition to lower house seats, One Nation is expected to gain three seats in the Legislative Council based on current results, with two already secured.

Political Parties’ Responses

In a post to social media on March 24, One Nation said they were now the “real opposition” in South Australia.

The party also hailed the state election outcome as a “success,” saying its campaign focused on Australian values, and mobilising grassroots support.

Meanwhile, Labor Premier Peter Malinauskas is preparing to announce his new cabinet following his election victory.

On the Liberal side, Leader Ashton Hurn said she was proud of her party’s campaign and intended to remain in the role.

“I believe in the Liberal Party, and my teammates have put their faith and their trust in me to lead the team, and that will continue into the future,” she told reporters.