One Nation founder Pauline Hanson has pledged to take the fight to Labor after her party secured as many senators as the Nationals.
The party will double in size in the Senate in the next term, equalling its best standing in federal parliament with four members in the upper house.
Warwick Stacey picked up the sixth and final slot for One Nation in NSW, a seat that had been expected to be won by Labor.
Mr Stacey will join Senator Hanson alongside re-elected Queensland senator Malcolm Roberts and the newly elected Tyron Whitten from Western Australia.
It’s the first time One Nation has had four senators in parliament – the same number as the Nationals – since 2016.
Senator Hanson said the party had received strong support across the nation.
“Our national vote increased significantly across Australia at this election thanks to a strong campaign with great candidates, commonsense policies and dedicated volunteers,” she said.
“This team will continue the work we have always done in parliament on behalf of the Australian people: hold this toxic Labor government to account.”
Labor will have 28 senators in the 76-seat upper house, the coalition 27 and the Greens 11, with the remaining six taken by independents or minor parties.
A total of 39 votes is needed to pass laws in the Senate, meaning Labor can ensure passage of bills with the support of just the Greens or the coalition.
“There is no more dedicated servant of Queensland than Malcolm Roberts and he’s seen off challengers from all sides to be re-elected yet again,” Senator Hanson said.
“I’m also delighted that Tyron Whitten and Warwick Stacey will be joining us on the Senate cross bench. They both have much to offer their respective states and they are great additions to our team.”
It comes as the Australian Electoral Commission launched an investigation after almost half of all votes from one polling place were ruled as informal.
Of the 111 people who voted at a polling booth in Missabotti, near Coffs Harbour in the seat of Cowper, 50 ballots for the lower house were filled out incorrectly.
Residents from the area told the ABC they were informed by election staff to number both ballot papers from one to six, despite there being 11 candidates.
Ballots for the House of Representatives must have all boxes numbered in order of preference to be deemed valid.
A minimum of six boxes must be filled out on the Senate ballot paper for the party of the voter’s choice.
The high informal votes would not have affected the outcome in the seat, with Nationals MP Pat Conaghan winning by more than 5000 votes.
“If the reports from Cowper are accurate and our staff were providing incorrect instructions, this is disappointing,” an electoral commission spokesman said.
“The AEC takes ballot paper formality very seriously – our intention is always to maximise the number of voters who are able to participate in a federal election by casting a formal vote.”
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