Lee Hanson has declared One Nation’s record polling in Tasmania as “amazing”, with the party surging to 21% in state voting intention despite not yet being formally registered in the state.
The latest EMRS poll of 1,000 registered voters, conducted on August 17 and 18, showed One Nation climbing two points at the state level.
It also cemented its position as the second most popular party federally in Tasmania, behind only Labor on 29%.
“I think it’s fantastic to see One Nation support growing across the state,” Hanson told Pulse.
“The key takeaway is that Tasmanians are seeking change.”
“They want a voice that represents them in parliament with common sense, authenticity and real leadership and that’s what’s lacking currently in the state.”
The state poll showed the Liberals on 26%, up one point, while Labor dropped one point to 23%.
It marked the second consecutive quarter in which the combined vote of the two major parties sat below 50%, a threshold EMRS records show was first breached in May.
EMRS director Brad Stansfield said the One Nation result reflected increased dissatisfaction with the current political situation in Tasmania.
Hanson said she agreed that was part of the story but insisted voters were also drawn to what the party was offering.
“If you’re happy with what you got, you don’t look elsewhere. That’s human nature,” she said.
“The uni party, how do you tell the difference between the two these days? And in most places you actually can’t.”
She said the surge came despite One Nation still working through Tasmania’s registration process, which she described as “very unique”
She said the party expects the Tasmanian Electoral Commission’s outcome to be published this week, which, if approved, it will formally register One Nation to run candidates in state elections.
Unlike other states, Tasmania requires prospective parties to lodge at least 100 statutory declarations from members willing to have their names and addresses published across three newspapers.
“This is a huge breach of privacy. It exposes them to safety concerns,” she said.
“Personally I couldn’t do that myself because of security reasons for my family… but members said to me, ‘Lee, we want to do this. We need to get into state parliament.'”
Hanson said that privacy exposure had taken on added urgency after a One Nation staffer was assaulted at the Ekka in Brisbane just over a week ago and was hospitalised with a broken rib.
“This is not okay… the police are investigating this in Queensland.”
Hanson said she has reached out to the Tasmanian government to push for a change to authorisation laws that effectively require parties without a sitting MP’s office to publish a member’s address on campaign material.
“I’m very appreciative that the Liberal government have informed me that they will table a change to the legislation through the floor of parliament protecting the safety of Tasmanians.”
“It doesn’t matter what political party or independent you are, we should never be putting anyone in this kind of position,” she said.
On candidate selection, Hanson said One Nation now relies on a network of 151 branches nationally, five of them in Tasmania, to preselect candidates suited to their local electorate.
“The type of person we want in Braddon is very different to the type of candidate that best represents Hobart,” she said.
“Unless you’re truly aligned to the party, unless you’re here in your beliefs and your values and you’re ready to do the work, don’t bother, because we’re not after opportunists.”
She pointed to the recent Farrer by-election win by David Farley as proof the branch-led model works, saying “the branch chose him, not us.”
Three Tasmanian upper house seats are up for election in May 2027, ahead of a state election due in 2029 and federal election due in 2028.
Hanson said a full candidate nomination process would begin as those dates approach.
