Clare O’Neil’s warning to the Coalition landed in the middle of a fresh argument over whether the Liberals should look to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation for help against Labor. Jane Hume brushed the idea aside on Thursday, calling it “nonsense” and saying the Liberals “are not One Nation” and “will never be One Nation.”
The exchange matters because it goes to how the opposition wants to fight the next election, and whether it is willing to test the political edge of preference deals in marginal seats. Hume said the Coalition has been in place for 80 years and has served Australians well for generations, a line aimed at drawing a firm boundary between the long-running alliance and any flirtation with Hanson’s party.
Hume also said her instinct was always to preference last the party or person that would do the most damage to the country, but she added that preference decisions would still depend on the particular candidate in the particular seat. That left room for local calculation even as she rejected any formal partnership with One Nation, which is exactly the point of friction now hanging over the debate.
The backdrop is a push from within the Coalition that has made the question harder to avoid. Bridget McKenzie had invited Hanson to join her in campaigning against Labor in Queensland, a move that sharpened speculation about where the Liberals might go next if they want to challenge the government more aggressively in seats where preferences can decide the result.
That same pressure is being felt on the other side of parliament, where Ed Husic said the backlash to his criticism of the Aukus agreement was unhealthy for Labor and designed to suppress dissent. Husic said he had asked one question in a caucus meeting and then faced a pile-on from ministers, including Mark Butler, who dismissed the remarks as those of one backbencher, and Pat Conroy, who called them disingenuous.
Husic said the reaction would discourage other MPs from speaking up, adding that it was right for him to ask questions and not face the sort of pile-on he did. He said the emphasis on rigidity and compliance was not healthy for the party, and added that he did not think Anthony Albanese would have tolerated that response when he was not leader.
For now, Hume has drawn the sharper line in public: no One Nation deal, no confusion about what the Coalition is. The unresolved question is whether that is the end of the speculation or just the point where preference politics starts to get practical in the seats that will matter most.
