One Nation's bid to parachute Malcolm Roberts into the Queensland election at the eleventh hour has failed, with the former senator trailing Labor in Ipswich.
Mr Roberts, who was a senator until being forced to resign from Federal Parliament over dual citizenship, was drafted in to run for Ipswich during the last week of October, only a month out from the election.
With almost 61 per cent of the count complete, Labor's Jennifer Howard had 48.3 per cent of the primary vote, followed by Mr Roberts on 26.6 per cent and the LNP's Andrew Caswell on 13.5 per cent.
Preferences were expected to send the Labor candidate over the magic mark of 50 per cent.
Mr Roberts conceded that he wouldn't win, but said he was pleased One Nation had eaten into the Labor and LNP voter base.
"I feel very encouraged by especially the support that people of Ipswich have given me on the streets and especially at the polling booth today," he told the ABC.
"[Labor] are not going to take this seat for granted again, and if we stand here again they will get a hell of a fight."
Mr Roberts said he would think about putting his hand up to run in the next federal election, which will be held sometime before November 2019.
In a separate interview on Channel Nine, Mr Roberts hit out at Labor for the result in Ipswich.
"The Labor Party's run a very dishonest campaign … they've just been smearing people," he said.
One Nation chief-of-staff James Ashby, part of Nine's election coverage campaign, said he was proud of Mr Roberts for contesting the seat.
"You've done exceptional," he said.
Steve Dickson loses Buderim
In a further body blow, One Nation may need to find a new state party leader with Steve Dickson failing to hold his seat of Buderim.
With about two-thirds of the vote counted, the LNP's Brent Mickelberg led Mr Dickson by 36.8 per cent of the vote to 28.8 per cent.
However, with about 35 per cent of votes going to Labor and the Greens, Mr Dickson is unlikely to pick up many preferences over his LNP rival.
Mr Dickson had been elected as an LNP member at the 2013 election, before defecting to One Nation in January 2017.
In the lead-up to election day, One Nation federal leader Pauline Hanson refused to be drawn on who could replace Mr Dickson if he lost his seat.
After learning of the likely losses for Mr Roberts and Mr Dickson, Senator Hanson insisted her party would still win seats at the election.
Senator Hanson said she was buoyed that the party had beaten the Greens on statewide primary votes.
"There is a place for One Nation here in state politics," she told Channel Nine.
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