Jacqui Lambie wins crucial sixth Senate spot, beating out One Nation’s Lee Hanson

Jacqui Lambie has won the fifth Tasmanian senate spot, beating Lee Hanson, the daughter of One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.

The tight race for the final two Tasmanian senate seats was fought down to the wire, with the Australian Electoral Commission confirming the count on Tuesday morning.

Senator Lambie was re-elected alongside Labor senator Carol Brown, Greens senator Nick McKim, and Liberals Claire Chandler and Richard Colbeck. Labor’s Richard Dowling was elected for the first time, replacing Catryna Bilyk who is retiring.

While Lee was out of the race early into the count, Senator Lambie’s Senate spot was at risk of being challenged by Labor’s third senate ticket candidate, Bailey Falls.

Senator Lambie said she was “very grateful that the Tasmanian people have given me the chance to fight for them for another six years”.

She said her focus in the next term was to help Tasmanians “doing it tough”.

“Interest rates are coming down and that’s good, but for many Tasmanian families it will barely touch the sides,” she said.

“I want to ensure the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide are implemented properly and that they make a real difference to the lives of veterans and their families.”

The senate maverick entered parliament in 2013 under Clive Palmer’s Palmer United Party, however she left the outfit in 2014 to sit as an independent.

She was also forced to resign in November 2017, alongside several other parliamentarians, after it was revealed she had inherited British citizenship from her Scottish-born father.

Senator Lambie had previously declared this would be her final term as a politician if she were re-elected.

“My body is absolutely broken from what I went through with in the army and DVA (Department of Veteran’s Affairs), and I’m struggling now,” she told NewsWire ahead of May 3.

Australian Electoral Officer for Tasmania Hannah Brown said the Senate makeup was confirmed following the distribution of preferences.

“As with all aspects of the count, scrutineers appointed by the candidates were able to witness the automated distribution of preferences undertaken today,” she said.

Speaking to ABC in the days after the election, ACT independent senator David Pocock said it would “be a huge loss for the Senate,” if Senator Lambie were to be unseated.

“I’ve got so much respect for Jacqui, I loved getting to know her and working alongside her,” he said.

“There (were) many things that we disagree on but where there (was) common ground, I worked a lot alongside her and she is a powerful voice.

“She brings a voice of reason at times and it’s actually saying the kinds of things that resonate with people, cuts through the political jargon and political spin that I think more and more people are getting sick (of)”.

Speaking to Sky News shortly after election day, Senator Hanson accused Senator Lambie of not being across policy, and said Lee would have had an emphatic win if she had longer to campaign.

The controversial politician previously told news.com.au “I want to see her gone,” adding that she had “had enough” of Senator Lambie.

“(Lee) had a four week campaign. That’s all she had,” Senator Hanson told Sky News.

“People are so disgruntled with her (Senator Lambie), and she’s against the salmon industry.

“She’s throwing, you know the baby of the bath water without (doing any consulting and finding out) what can we do to save 5000 workers to do with the salmon industry.”