Pauline Hanson has retained her seat after a close race between two of the most controversial figures in the Senate.
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A drawn-out count for the Queensland Senate seat ended as the Australian Electoral Commission declared the One Nation founder beat conservative LNP Senator Amanda Stoker on Friday.
Both have been vocal advocates for conservative causes with Ms Stoker speaking out against abortion and euthanasia, while Ms Hanson ran an anti-vaccine mandate campaign, and even refused a coronavirus jab herself.
Ironically, Senator Hanson spent election day in isolation after testing positive to COVID-19.
After the win, Senator Hanson said she hopes Prime Minister Anthony Albanese would "prove her wrong" after previously saying he wouldn't make a good leader.
"I also congratulate Mr Albanese on Labor's win. I've said in the past he probably wouldn't make a good prime minister, however, I sincerely hope he proves me wrong," she said in a statement on Friday.
She vowed to pursue interests which would put Australians and Australia first including lowering immigration and ensuring the economy and jobs would not be sacrificed "on the altar of climate change".
The Senator also called for a royal commission into the government's handing of the pandemic.
"Australians need representation which puts them and their country first more than ever," she said.
The count came down to the wire with electoral commission staff still undertaking the painstaking process of distributing preferences almost four weeks after election day.
Ms Hanson pulled ahead of Ms Stoker leapfrogging Labor Senator Anthony Chism into the fifth spot.
Ms Hanson won out against Legalise Cannabis Australia's Bernard Bradley, United Australia's Clive Palmer and Liberal Democrat and former Queensland premier Campbell Newman.
She joins James McGrath, Murray Watt, Matt Caravan, Anthony Chisholm and newly elected Greens Senator Penny Allman-Payne.
