COURTNEY BEMBRIDGE, REPORTER: From the east coast to the west coast, One Nation is disrupting major party politics.
LUKE HERDEGEN, ONE NATION CANDIDATE: I really believe together we are on the verge of something truly historic here.
GEORGIA TREE, LABOR CANDIDATE: I’m in the fight of my life, that’s for sure.
BASIL ZEMPILAS, WA LIBERAL LEADER: My approach has been respect what’s happening politically. Don’t fear it.
COURTNEY BEMBRIDGE: The resignation of a long-serving MP in Perth’s southern suburbs has triggered a by-election in a once-safe Labor stronghold. It could be an opening for One Nation.
PETER KENNEDY, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: A big swing to One Nation would send shock waves through the major parties.
COURTNEY BEMBRIDGE: Luke Herdergen starts his day early. The gym owner from New South Wales is One Nation’s candidate for the seat of Secret Harbour.
On the east coast, One Nation has barred the ABC from some of its media events but here in the west, Luke Herdegen has invited 7.30 along.
Is there a joke in here about a political storm?
LUKE HERDEGEN: There might be a joke about a political storm, I think. I think there’s definitely a storm brewing.
COURTNEY BEMBRIDGE: From the beach to the roadside joined by the One Nation WA leader Rod Caddies.
ROD CADDIES, WA ONE NATION LEADER: He’s got the commitment; he’s got the personality. Everyone seems to really find him likeable.
COURTNEY BEMBRIDGE: At the state election last year One Nation got less than 9 per cent of the vote here and Labor was ahead of the Liberals by 11 and a half percent.
Now it’s thought Labor and One Nation are neck and neck and support for the Liberals is waning.
ROD CADDIES: There’s been a shift. The momentum on the ground now, these horns, you used to get a bit of that before. We aren’t just this protest party as they keep trying to push.
COURTNEY BEMBRIDGE: Luke Heredegen’s campaign hasn’t been without controversy. There were questions over his social media posts about using and then quitting cocaine.
LUKE HERDEGEN: That’s a story I put out there to try and help inspire people to live happier and healthier lives and I think it really did help a lot of people, When I’m in the streets of Secret Harbour they’re not asking me about a blog post from 10 years ago.
COURTNEY BEMBRIDGE: He also had to to sell his stake in a gym franchise because the company didn’t want to be linked to any party and he says his sister isn’t talking to him.
LUKE HERDEGEN: She sees Pauline Hanson in One Nation as racist, and I guess lots of the support and the things that she supports.
Yeah, it’s a huge personal toll. I love my sister. We’re a close family, but yeah, like all families and all communities, not everybody agrees. And yeah, we have to be able to disagree.
COURTNEY BEMBRIDGE: Secret Harbour is in Perth’s rapidly growing south. Home to many young, working families, affordable housing and cost of living is front of mind.
VOX POP: It’s the young ones I feel sorry for, trying to get off the ground away from mom and dad.
VOX POP: I’m building a house at the moment and prices of it and everything to do everything. It’s just through the roof and it’s mainly because we’re overpopulated.
VOX POP: They seem to like coming out and everyone seems to be sprucing a lot of things, but actions are better than words. So we’ll see what they deliver.
PETER KENNEDY: There are far few rusted on voters now than there were. And in the outer suburbs, that’s where that party loyalty I think is falling away.
GEORGIA TREE: I never would’ve imagined that I’d be coming up against One Nation and the level of support that they do have.
COURTNEY BEMBRIDGE: Labor’s candidate in the by-election is Georgia Tree.
GEORGIA TREE: We’re building Karnup Station and we’ve capped public transport fares at $2.80. One take Tree they call me.
COURTNEY BEMBRIDGE: Transport is a big issue here. The train station Labor has promised was first announced back in 2013, but it’s still not built.
VOX POP: Go One Nation!
COURTNEY BEMBRIDGE: There are reminders everywhere of what she’s up against.
Have you been getting a bit of that?
GEORGIA TREE: Yeah, definitely but I will keep fighting. I can be the person in the room where those decisions are made and if they do vote for another party, that won’t be the case.
COURTNEY BEMBRIDGE: Later, she meets some volunteers for the daily routine of doorknocking.
GEORGIA TREE: We’re a microcosm here and there’s a lot of scrutiny on this seat because it’s part of a broader movement that we’ve seen all over the world. So it’s interesting for me to be in the petri dish as it were, and everyone’s looking to see what happens.
COURTNEY BEMBRIDGE: On the eve of early voting, One Nation volunteers gather in a local hall to be briefed.
ROD CADDIES: People will try and troll you and try and get you into an argument or maybe film you or get some footage of you. Be the bigger person. Do not bite. Walk away.
COURTNEY BEMBRIDGE: A lot of the volunteers say they’re here because of Pauline Hanson.
Some of things she said this year so earlier this year she said that she didn’t believe there were any good Muslims. She also said that domestic violence was a two-way street. Do you agree with those things?
LUKE HERDEGEN: I mean, look, to be honest, it’s not something that anyone is talking about in the community here. It’s just not really an issue down here. So yeah, not really.
COURTNEY BEMBRIDGE: You don’t agree with those things?
LUKE HERDEGEN: Oh no, it’s not that I don’t agree with it. I think, like I said yesterday, all crimes are committed by both sexes.
ROD CADDIES: Think that’s been done over and over about the good Muslim thing. I think that’s coming back to that reason why Pauline has not wanting to talk to the ABC.
LUKE HERDEGEN: I haven’t spoken to Pauline about that, she hasn’t said those comments to me.
ROD CADDIES: That cut about the good Muslim was about if they’re following the Quran and dadada, so you have to have things in context.
COURTNEY BEMBRIDGE: What’s your response to people who say that Pauline does peddle kind of racist messages?
LUKE HERDEGEN: Well, I completely disagree. Yeah. I don’t think she does peddle racist messages and no one in the party peddles racist messages.
COURTNEY BEMBRIDGE: Parts of Secret Harbour sit within the federal electorate of Canning held by Liberal Andrew Hastie – one of the Coalition’s loudest voices against One Nation. He’s been critical of the WA Liberals for not running hard enough against the party and preferencing One Nation too high.
BASIL ZEMPILAS: There is support for One Nation. Now for us to be disrespectful of that would be not acknowledging the current will of the people. So my approach has very much been see One Nation’s rise as an opportunity, not a threat.
RYAN ROBERTSON, LIBERAL CANDIDATE: I think we’re in with a great chance and importantly we’ve spent the last five weeks listening to the people of Secret Harbour and I think that’s got to show. Knocking on over 4,000 doors and hearing exactly where the frustrations are.
PETER KENNEDY: The Liberal Party’s in a fight for not only its sort of continued existence, but sort of to try and become a major voice again in West Australian politics.
COURTNEY BEMBRIDGE: The Prime Minister spent the day in Perth today, but Anthony Albanese didn’t make it to Secret Harbour.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: I am here and I’m doing my job as prime minister of Australia. If the people of that electorate want a voice in government, they should vote Labor.
COURTNEY BEMBRIDGE: You don’t think there’s a message for you if Labor loses this by-election?
ANTHONY ALBANESE: It’s a state by-election.
PETER KENNEDY: One Nation potentially is becoming a force in Australian politics. And the reality then for the major parties is how do you deal with it? Do you ignore them or do you strike some sort of arrangement with them? And that’s what’s playing out at the moment.
COURTNEY BEMBRIDGE: And in this seat, it’s a force that could be gaining momentum at the expense of both major parties.
VOX POP: I’ve always voted Labor, always, my whole life, because they were for the middle-class people, but now they’re not.
VOX POP: I just think Labor and Liberal, they haven’t done anything since they’ve been parties really, have they? Let’s be honest.