One Nation, particularly in Queensland, has attracted voters who feel “left out” of mainstream politics. But the Coalition’s intermittent courting of the party may end with this week’s revelations.
With this week’s revelations about the extraordinary visit to the US gun lobby by One Nation’s James Ashby, and Steve Dickson, Morrison’s shilly-shallying became untenable.
Scott Morrison has announced the Liberals will preference One Nation below Labor at the federal election. But that is unlikely to make a substantial difference to the make-up of the parliament.
The extraordinary expose is a blow for the One Nation leader and complicates Scott Morrison’s struggle in handling what were already awkward questions about his attitude to preferencing One Nation.
One would think ministerial staff would be particularly alert to Hanson motions, and think very carefully before concluding she was doing something as unlikely as putting forward an anti-racist one.
Ahead of Saturday’s crucial byelections, senior Labor Party figures have described a vote for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party as a vote for the Coalition. What do the records show?
On Saturday, five federal seats will have a byelection, with particular attention being paid to tight races in Longman and Braddon. And all have implications for the major parties and their leaders.
Incoming ALP President Wayne Swan has lashed out at Mark Latham as “someone who ratted on battlers” after the former Labor leader’s robo message to Longman voters, authorised by Pauline Hanson".
Clive Palmer believes he can recapture the magic that saw him elected to Parliament in 2013, but what his new party – and others on the right – need is more discipline.
Despite its dysfunction and often inconsistent policy positions, the party has cemented an influential place in the federal arena, albeit a status that’s on the verge of diminishing drastically.
It’s been another colourful week in federal politics, highlighted by Greg Hunt’s swearing, the Barnaby Joyce saga taking yet another turn, and One Nation falling apart at the seams.
As much as the Senate is unpredictable, this does look like the end of the government’s chances of getting its company tax package through parliament before the election.