Australia's far-right party makes further gains, taking seat in western state

Australia's far-right One Nation party won a seat in a state parliament long held by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's centre-left Labor Party, continuing a surge that had gained the populist group its first seat in the national lower house.



Gym owner Luke Herdegen scored One Nation's first lower house seat in the Western Australia parliament, an official tally showed on Sunday, taking a seat in the state capital Perth that had been held by Labor for decades.



One Nation, led by Senator Pauline Hanson, overtook Labor in a national opinion poll for the first time in June, a month after winning its first elected seat in the federal House of Representatives.



Founded in 1997, One Nation long occupied the political fringe, but its hard line on immigration has drawn more support amid public frustration over housing shortages, high living costs and a general decline in support for Australia's major parties.



The result underscores the challenge One Nation poses to Australia's main centre-left and centre-right parties as it converts rising poll numbers into seats, raising the stakes ahead of an election in Victoria state later this year.