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Updated July 21, 2026 — 2:12pm,first published 12:57pm
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One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says a preference deal is yet to be struck with WA’s Liberal party ahead of the upcoming Secret Harbour byelection, but vowed to put both the Greens and Labor last.
Speaking after her appearance at a business breakfast hosted by The West Australian, the federal senator said she hoped to work with the Liberals and Nationals to take the seat from Labor.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson campaigning with candidate Luke Herdegen in Secret Harbour on Monday.“This will be a test case, the same as when we won seven seats in the South Australian parliament,” Hanson said.
“A deal has not been struck, but we will be putting Labor last and the Greens second last.”
The Queensland senator also dubbed Gina Rinehart “a wonderful West Australian” while defending the billionaire mining heiress’ support for One Nation.
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Hanson has received criticism from opposing political parties and the media after Rinehart provided significant support for the Queenslander, including an airplane, and as photos emerged of the pair holidaying in Europe.
“Look at those taxes, royalties, and jobs that she provides the state,” Hanson told the audience after the Hancock Prospecting boss was brought up by West Australian editor Chris Dore at the breakfast event.
“It didn’t cost the taxpayer one cent for my trip overseas. Not one cent.
“You think that she’s come with a silver spoon. She didn’t.
“She had to borrow everything and was flat out in the very start to pay the bills. She’s built up that company.
“A very smart, clever woman. And even now, to this day, who supports the [Royal] Flying Doctor Service. Who supports the Olympic swimmers and the lobbyists.
“She’s a very proud, patriotic Australian, and she sees the same in me.”
Hanson also used her appearance to highlight the important role WA played in the nation’s economy while also addressing the continued housing crisis in the state.
She said WA was being held back by the federal government.
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“Western Australia helps to pay this nation’s bills. Your royalties fund the services here,” she said.
“Your taxes fund them everywhere else. Western Australia is home to roughly one in nine Australians, but generates one in $6 of national economic output.
“Western Australia generates almost one in $5 of national business investment. It generates almost half of the country’s exported goods.
“But your businesses are being held back by this government.”
Hanson pointed to Perth’s rental vacancy rate of 0.6 per cent – the tightest capital city in the country after Darwin – and blamed the federal government’s migration policy for the increase.
“Families with nowhere to live in the richest state in the nation. And let me tell you why there’s nowhere to live, it’s not a mystery,” she said.
“Last year, this country’s population grew by more than 400,000 people. In the same year, we finished about 173,000 homes, nearly 2½ people for every new home, and it’s not slowing down.
“In just four years, this government will have added almost 1.6 million people through net overseas migration. Nearly one million arrived in 2022 and 2023 alone.
“This government is running the biggest migration program in our history, and building nowhere near the homes to match it. Then it acts surprised when your kids can’t afford a house and services are overwhelmed.
“That’s not compassion. That’s negligence.”
Protesters outside the Leadership Matters event, hosting One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.Elise GatelyMeanwhile, while Hanson was speaking at the nearby Crown Ballroom, the WA Greens and the WA Socialists held an event nearby to protest the One Nation leader.
“The Greens and the WA Socialists have organised today’s protest to make it really clear that Pauline Hanson and her hate is not welcome here in Perth,” WA Greens MP Sophie McNeill said.
“We know that Seven West Media is platforming Pauline Hanson. This morning, they’re giving her a special breakfast. But Pauline Hanson’s politics - this is not normal. It can never be normalised.
“This level of hate, discrimination, racism, bigotry, Islamophobia. It’s not normal, and we’re not going to let it be normalised.”
McNeill also took aim at local media, particularly Seven West Media, blaming the news outlets for promoting Pauline Hanson and her “hate and bigotry”.
“The coverage of Pauline Hanson and her hate is fueled by Seven Waste Media,” she said.
“We see her on the front page every day. We see her leading their news bulletins.
“They’re gunning for One Nation to win the Secret Harbour. We can see that, and so we’re calling that out.”
Hanson also introduced her party’s candidate for the Secret Harbour byelection, gym owner Luke Herdegen, who responded to posts on his Facebook account from 2019 where he admitted to doing large amounts of cocaine and dealing with mental health problems.
The party’s candidate said the post was a “story I put out there to help inspire people with happier and healthier lives”.
“I think it would really help other people,” Herdegen said.
“Look, when I’m in the streets of Secret Harbour, they’re not asking me about a blog post from 10 years ago.
“They’re talking to me about cost of living. They’re talking to me about the housing issue.
The One Nation candidate also hit out at the press pack when asked why he had deleted his social media accounts.
“Look, I deactivated my social media to protect my family from people like you,” he said.
“You can ask whatever you like, and that’s out there in the public, and the public at the end of the day, they get to make decisions.
“I’ve seen somebody posted yesterday about the photo of me with a BMW.
“You can pull a photo of BMW, but you can’t pull a photo of the sleepless nights and distressed workers who aren’t going to be able to pay wages next week.
“Small businesses in this country and in this state and in the community of Secret Harbour are struggling.
“The cost of energy has gone through the roof, and people are struggling to pay their electricity.”
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Michael Philipps is a producer and reporter with WAtoday.From our partners