Jacqui Lambie Claims Fifth Tasmanian Senate Seat, Defeating One Nation’s Lee Hanson
Jacqui Lambie has secured the fifth Senate seat for Tasmania, successfully holding off a challenge from One Nation’s Lee Hanson, daughter of party leader Pauline Hanson.
The Australian Electoral Commission confirmed the results on Tuesday morning after a tightly contested count. Senator Lambie was elected alongside Labor’s Carol Brown and Richard Dowling, Greens senator Nick McKim, and Liberals Claire Chandler and Richard Colbeck.
While Lee Hanson was eliminated early in the count, Senator Lambie’s seat remained under threat from a potential third Labor candidate until preferences were fully distributed.
“I’m very grateful that the Tasmanian people have given me the chance to fight for them for another six years,” Lambie said, pledging to focus on supporting Tasmanians doing it tough. “Interest rates are coming down and that’s good, but for many Tasmanian families it will barely touch the sides.”
Lambie also reaffirmed her commitment to ensuring the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide are fully implemented, saying they must make a tangible difference for veterans and their families.
First elected in 2013 under Clive Palmer’s Palmer United Party, Lambie quickly split to sit as an independent and later formed the Jacqui Lambie Network. She temporarily left Parliament in 2017 due to dual citizenship but returned in 2019. She has previously indicated this will be her final term due to ongoing health issues linked to her military service.
Australian Electoral Officer for Tasmania Hannah Brown confirmed the Senate results were finalized following the official distribution of preferences. “Scrutineers appointed by the candidates were able to witness the automated distribution undertaken today,” she said.
ACT independent senator David Pocock had expressed concern that losing Lambie from the Senate would be a significant blow. “She’s a powerful voice,” he said. “She cuts through political spin and speaks in a way that resonates with people.”
However, Pauline Hanson criticised Lambie’s performance and policies, claiming her daughter could have performed better with a longer campaign. “Lee had a four-week campaign. That’s all she had,” she told Sky News. “People are so disgruntled with [Lambie].”
Hanson specifically targeted Lambie’s stance on Tasmania’s salmon industry, accusing her of jeopardizing 5,000 jobs without adequate consultation.
