Secret Harbour by-election 2026: Results, voting, updates and winner

One Nation has claimed victory in the secret Harbour by-election, with Luke Herdegan telling the crowd: ‘There are no safe Labor seats in this country any more.’

Taylor Renouf and Troy de Ruyter
The West Australian
Federal Liberal MP Andrew Hastie has publicly criticised WA Liberal leader Basil Zempilas, over the party's campaign strategy in the Secret Harbour by-election, accusing him of conceding ground to One Nation.

RECAP: One Nation has claimed victory in the secret Harbour by-election, with Luke Herdegan telling the crowd: ‘There are no safe Labor seats in this country any more.’

Recap the day as it unfolded.

Key events

29 Aug 2026 - 10:01 PM

‘No seat is safe from orange tsunami’

29 Aug 2026 - 09:38 PM

One Nation claims victory

29 Aug 2026 - 09:23 PM

Georgia Tree speaks at function

29 Aug 2026 - 08:46 PM

Basil Zempilas admits Liberals will ‘fall short’

29 Aug 2026 - 08:28 PM

‘Might not be our night’: Liberal candidate

29 Aug 2026 - 08:02 PM

One Nation quadruples primary vote

29 Aug 2026 - 07:51 PM

WAEC releases indicative two candidate preferred result

29 Aug 2026 - 07:20 PM

FIRST RESULTS IN: One Nation takes early lead

29 Aug 2026 - 06:25 PM

Cold Chisel, balloons and big hopes at One Nation function

29 Aug 2026 - 06:00 PM

Polls close!

29 Aug 2026 - 05:10 PM

Hastie makes last-minute appearance but dodges media questions

29 Aug 2026 - 04:20 PM

‘Don’t write us off yet’: Labor Minister

29 Aug 2026 - 03:09 PM

Andrew Hastie MIA as Liberals deny division

29 Aug 2026 - 02:15 PM

Where to vote

29 Aug 2026 - 02:09 PM

Liberal candidate reveals one regret from campaign trail

29 Aug 2026 - 01:38 PM

Cook accuses Zempilas of throwing Hastie ‘under the bus’

29 Aug 2026 - 12:55 PM

Roger and Basil meet on the job

29 Aug 2026 - 12:37 PM

Cook and Zempilas reduced to bit players in Secret Harbour

29 Aug 2026 - 12:05 PM

Robertson refuses to concede as Liberals chase upset

29 Aug 2026 - 11:58 AM

‘Lots of onions’: Cook reveals his sausage sizzle secret

29 Aug 2026 - 11:28 AM

Winton admits Secret Harbour race is on a knife-edge

29 Aug 2026 - 10:55 AM

Labor, One Nation clash over controversial booth flyer

29 Aug 2026 - 10:40 AM

Opposing leaders share a handshake

29 Aug 2026 - 10:38 AM

Cook and Tree rally the troops

29 Aug 2026 - 10:04 AM

Hanson’s final ‘go hard’ plea to Secret Harbour hopeful

29 Aug 2026 - 10:02 AM

Vandal targets Labor by-election signs

29 Aug 2026 - 10:01 AM

Labor’s emotional final pitch to voters

Cook and Tree rally the troops

Premier Roger Cook joined Labor candidate Georgia Tree to rally the troops shortly after polls opened at 8am and conceded the Government could lose the previously safe seat only 17 months after a landslide election victory.

“It would break my heart but, you know, we’re in the hands of the people of Secret Harbour today,” Mr Cook said.

“I’m just today immensely proud of the woman that’s standing behind me, I’m immensely proud of the campaign that we’ve run.”

Ms Tree cannot vote for herself because she lives 61km outside the electorate in Perth’s inner-north — as first revealed by The West Australian.

She became emotional greeting Labor’s volunteers at the polling booth, who included her father.

“He’s part of my hype squad. He’s super proud of me, and and he’s been such a great support,” Ms Tree said.

She trumpeted Labor’s plan to start construction on a Karnup train station in 2028 as proof she has “runs on the board” but denied it was evidence of Government inaction over the past decade.

Read the full story here.

Joe Spagnolo

Hanson’s final ‘go hard’ plea to Secret Harbour hopeful

One Nation Secret Harbour candidate Luke Herdegen has declared he can win today’s by-election on primaries — as the party seeks to make political history in WA.

Speaking at a polling booth in Lakelands, Mr Herdegen told The West Australian that the support for One Nation was overwhelming.

He said national issues such as cost-of-living hikes and concerns about current immigration numbers had been key.

It comes as Pauline Hanson told Mr Herdegen to “go hard” on the final day of the gruelling campaign.

In a text message to Mr Herdegen on Friday, Senator Hanson said that “whatever the outcome” of today’s by-election, she was proud of the 39-year-old.

“From day one you’ve committed every waking hour to this Secret Harbour campaign and I can’t be prouder,” Senator Hanson said in the text message to Mr Herdegen.

“What you’ve done is put Labor and the Liberals on notice.

“Whatever the outcome, I want you to know that everyone on the east coast is cheering for you.”

​Full story here.​

Vandal targets Labor by-election signs

Labor election posters were slashed and torn down outside a polling booth in Secret Harbour, hours before voting started at 8am.

WA Police confirmed they are investigating the incident reported at Secret Harbour Primary School about 10pm last night.

Labor’s emotional final pitch to voters

Roger Cook has declared “it would break my heart” to lose Secret Harbour as Labor braces for a protest vote that has put the previously safe seat in danger only 17 months after a landslide election victory.

The Premier rallied the troops at the polling booth at Secret Harbour Primary School, alongside Labor candidate Georgia Tree who became emotional while greeting volunteers that included her father.

“He’s part of my hype squad. He’s super proud of me, and and he’s been such a great support, and I’ve loved having him on the campaign trail,” she said.

Labor claims its campaign team has knocked on 19,000 doors and made more than 13,000 calls, to engage directly with voters.

“We have the full brunt of One Nation nationally focused on this electorate in the southern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia,” the Premier said.

“Our teams have felt that they’ve felt the the the social media pressure and, quite frankly, some of the toxicity which is out there.

“But we’re better than that. We have 500 volunteers working hard to have a genuine campaign, genuine conversations.”

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