Tyron Whitten’s Surprise Senate Win Gives One Nation a Historic Boost Beyond Queensland

In a political twist few saw coming, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party has expanded its Senate presence beyond its traditional stronghold of Queensland, marking a historic breakthrough with the election of Western Australian businessman Tyron Whitten.

The Australian Electoral Commission finalized the WA Senate results on Thursday, confirming Whitten’s win of the sixth and final Senate spot. The co-founder of civil construction firm Whittens, a company with a $180 million annual turnover and over 1,000 employees, will now represent One Nation in the federal upper house. This unexpected victory lifts One Nation’s Senate seat count from two to three, joining Malcolm Roberts and Pauline Hanson.

Whitten’s win is particularly noteworthy as it marks One Nation’s first-ever Senate seat gain outside Queensland during a half-Senate election. It came as Malcolm Roberts was also re-elected in Queensland, defeating former Liberal-National Party member Gerard Rennick, who had defected after being dropped from the party’s Senate ticket.

“One Nation is going to increase its Senate representation by 50 per cent,” Senator Roberts posted on X, celebrating the party’s electoral gains while calling attention to how close they came in Victoria and South Australia.

Whitten’s ascent reflects a growing dissatisfaction among certain voter bases with traditional party politics. Known for his strong nationalist stance, Whitten campaigned on policies favoring reduced immigration, a tougher national energy framework, and more scrutiny over foreign influence on domestic policy. “It’s time to put Australians first,” Whitten declared, citing pressure on infrastructure and the housing market as reasons to curb overseas arrivals.

He also invoked his grandfather’s military service to justify his decision to run for office under One Nation, stating that the values fought for in war must now be defended in Parliament. “One Nation holds the values that my grandfather went to war for,” Whitten said, promising to uphold those ideals in his senatorial role.

The Australian Electoral Officer for Western Australia, Anita Ratcliffe, confirmed the final distribution of preferences was conducted in full view of scrutineers, maintaining the integrity of the process. Whitten joins a Senate lineup from WA that includes Labor’s Ellie Whiteaker and Varun Ghosh, Liberals Slade Brockman and Matt O’Sullivan, and Greens senator Jordon Steele-John.

Social media responses from One Nation supporters hailed Whitten’s victory as a “well-deserved result for a passionate advocate of the people.” The party emphasized that he would serve as a strong voice for Western Australians and a critical check on what they describe as government overreach and globalist policymaking.

Labor, while still performing strongly in the national Senate landscape, was hoping to claim the final WA seat with candidate Deep Singh, a former United Workers Union organizer. However, the final preference distribution gave Whitten the edge.

Elsewhere in the Senate, Labor gained an additional Queensland seat, bringing its tally to 28, putting it within striking distance of passing legislation with the support of the Greens’ 11 senators. The Coalition is projected to hold 27 Senate spots, making future negotiations within the chamber increasingly complex.

As counting continues in closely watched contests such as the Bradfield lower house seat in Sydney—where the Liberal candidate leads by just seven votes—Whitten’s surprise win underscores the ever-evolving nature of Australia’s political landscape. With his swearing-in, One Nation not only gains ground numerically but also symbolically, signaling broader national appeal and a possible reshaping of Senate debates in the years ahead.