Fighting for Our Lives: Hastie Admits One Nation Ahead in Secret Harbour By-election

Shadow Home Affairs Minister Andrew Hastie speaks in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra, on Oct. 27, 2025. AAP Image/Lukas CochFederal Shadow Minister Andrew Hastie has conceded the Liberal Party are fighting for their lives ahead of a crucial state by-election in Western Australia (WA).The Secret Harbour by-election will be held on Saturday, Aug. 29, following the resignation of long-serving Labor MP and minister Paul Papalia.Hastie, whose federal electorate of Canning largely overlaps the seat, admitted that One Nation is leading the race.“It’s clear that One Nation are ahead. I’ve heard that from Labor. I’ve heard that from our side. And the experience on pre-poll suggests that,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.“We are fighting for our lives, and we should be fighting for every single vote in Secret Harbour.”While WA Liberal Leader Basil Zempilas previously said any Labor loss in the seat would be a victory for the Liberals, Hastie disagreed with that framing.“Basil Zempilas said that a win for One Nation would be an opportunity. I don’t see that at all. I think we should be fighting to win in every contest we enter or we shouldn’t enter the contest,” Hastie said.Hastie said major parties needed to better address voters’ concerns, pointing to housing pressures in his electorate.“If you come down to the beach here in my electorate, sadly you’ll find people sleeping in their cars,” he said.“That’s why our plan at the federal level deals with many of the challenges. We want lower taxes, we want cheaper energy, we want to cut migration and build more homes.”The State of Play Labor holds Secret Harbour on an 11.5 percent margin after a large swing against the party at the 2025 state election.Sixteen candidates are contesting the seat of Secret Harbour. One Nation’s Luke Herdegen, Labor’s Georgia Tree and the Liberals’ Ryan Robertson are the main contenders for the seat.Herdegen campaigned with WA One Nation Leader Rod Caddies, WA Senator Tyron Whitten and NSW One Nation Senator Sean Bell on Aug. 24.In the final week of pre-polling, he expressed confidence in his chances of winning the by-election.“What a great day for early voting. Just five more days to go,” Herdegen said on Facebook. Labor candidate Georgia Tree pointed to her advantage as a member of the governing Labor party.“The thing that separates me from the other candidates is I can be in the room where change happens,” she said.Meanwhile, Liberal candidate Ryan Robertson argued it was “time for a change,” saying locals were “sick and tired” of the Cook Labor government.