general

One Nation wins South Australian seats as Liberals suffer heavy loss

Mar 22nd 2026 · Australia

One Nation made significant gains in the South Australian election, leading in multiple lower house contests as Labor secured a decisive overall victory and the Liberals faced a sharp collapse and internal reckonings.

  • One Nation is projected to win at least one South Australian lower house seat and was leading in four others while remaining in contention in two more.
  • One Nation's primary vote surged to 22 percent, a 19.4 point swing, while the Liberals fell to 19 percent, down 16 points.
  • Labor took 38 percent of primary votes and looked set to win at least 32 of the 47 seats in the state parliament.
  • The Liberal party was reduced to four confirmed seats by Sunday evening and party figures said they must learn sobering lessons.
  • Federal MP Barnaby Joyce defended One Nation and likened banning migration from some Muslim countries to buying cattle, prompting condemnation from the Australian National Imams Council.
  • Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged against demonising migrants and said diversity is a national strength.