Key facts
- Liberal MP Tony Pasin suggested cooperation with One Nation to target Labor seats.
- Angus Taylor rejected any deal to share seats with One Nation.
Liberal frontbencher Angus Taylor has rejected a proposal from colleague Tony Pasin for the Liberal and One Nation parties to cooperate and not run against each other in certain seats. Pasin suggested the parties could pool resources to defeat Labor, but Taylor stated the Liberal party would focus on campaigning against the current government.
The internal debate within the Liberal party highlights the strategic challenges conservative parties face in countering the rise of One Nation, with potential implications for election outcomes and the broader political landscape.
Cracks have appeared within the Liberal party regarding how to address the growing threat of Pauline Hanson's One Nation party. Liberal MP Tony Pasin, whose seat of Barker is considered vulnerable to One Nation, suggested that the two conservative parties should cooperate and not contest the same seats, aiming to pool resources to defeat the Labor government.
Pasin reportedly told The Australian newspaper that the parties should "work hand-in-glove to defeat Labor" and "work together to identify which seats are more appropriately targeted" by either One Nation or the Coalition. This suggestion comes as One Nation leads the Coalition and Labor in published opinion polls, raising concerns about vote cannibalisation.
However, senior Liberal figures, including Angus Taylor, have firmly rejected Pasin's proposal. Taylor stated on Thursday that there was "no plan to carve up seats" and that the Liberal party's focus would remain on campaigning against the "Labor government that’s taking this country in the wrong direction."
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has indicated her party intends to target seats held by Labor ministers. The party also claims to have raised over $1.7 million in a donation drive aimed at these targets, though this figure is unverified.
Liberal senator James Paterson echoed Taylor's sentiment, calling any discussion of preference swaps "premature." He expressed concerns about the calibre of One Nation's candidates and suggested the Liberal party should focus on regaining the trust of its traditional supporters before considering any arrangements with other parties. Paterson advocated for the Liberals to contest every seat nationwide.
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