Liberal Party Splits Over Cooperation With Pauline Hanson's One Nation

Splits are appearing inside the Liberal party about how to deal with Pauline Hanson, after one opposition MP at risk of losing his seat to One Nation said the two conservative parties should cooperate and not run against each other – a plan rejected by Angus Taylor and other senior colleagues.

With One Nation leading the Coalition and Labor in published opinion polls, Hanson’s threat to target government-held seats has recharged debate about whether the surge will see rightwing politicians cooperate or cannibalise each other’s votes.

Tony Pasin, a conservative Liberal from rural South Australia and a shadow minister on Taylor’s frontbench, suggested his party and One Nation “work hand-in-glove to defeat Labor”. In comments to The Australian newspaper, Pasin reportedly said the two parties “should work together to identify which seats are more appropriately targeted” by One Nation or the Coalition, claiming the parties could pool resources and “get two seats for the price of one.”

Pasin is a Liberal with more reason to worry than most about One Nation’s surge. One Nation ran third in Pasin’s seat of Barker at the 2025 election, and Hanson’s party won seats at South Australia’s March state election in areas which overlap with Pasin’s federal seat.

Former ABC election analyst Antony Green wrote on X: “Given how strongly One Nation polled within the boundaries of Mr Pasin’s seat using SA state election results, I wonder if he is hoping to have Barker as a seat where One Nation will stand aside for the Liberal Party.”

Despite former Liberal prime minister John Howard’s previous stance of preferencing One Nation last in elections, the modern Liberal party is more open to some form of cooperation with One Nation. Former prime minister and the current party president, Tony Abbott, a confidant of Taylor, this week suggested preference swaps and that the Coalition should work with “whoever we can” to defeat Labor.

Bridget McKenzie, the Nationals senator, said on Sky News last month that Hanson should target Labor seats and that she would “come and help you campaign”.

Asked about Pasin’s suggestion, Taylor on Thursday said he was not contemplating such cooperation with One Nation.

“No, there’s no plan to carve up seats. We won’t be doing that,” he told the ABC.

“What we will be doing is focusing on a Labor government that’s taking this country in the wrong direction, with higher taxes, with fewer houses, with immigration that has not been in line with our housing supply, and with an energy system that is broken. And will be our focus, it won’t be carving up seats.”

Hanson held an event in Perth on Wednesday night, suggesting her party would target seats held by Labor ministers including Chris Bowen, Tony Burke, Clare O’Neil, Madeleine King and “Adam Giles” – likely a reference to skills minister Andrew Giles.

Adam Giles was the former Liberal chief minister of the Northern Territory, and is now CEO of Gina Rinehart-owned Hancock Agriculture.

According to a tracker on its website, One Nation claims it had raised more than $1.7m in a donation drive aimed at targeting Labor seats. That figure is unverified though, as the party does not disclose its donations in real time and the website provides no details of purported donations.

Taylor, asked about One Nation’s donation claims, said: “Every dollar that’s being raised right now should be focused on beating Labor. I’m not sure that is the case.”

He said the Liberal party had to focus on “re-establishing trust, in establishing our credibility” in the electorate.

Liberal senator James Paterson, the shadow defence minister, said any discussion about preference swaps was “premature” and raised concern about the calibre of One Nation’s candidates.

“I think frankly One Nation has a lot of work to do to get themselves into a fit state to contest the election. And they need to go away to do that work and the Liberal party shouldn’t contemplate preferencing them until we’ve seen that that’s been done,” he told Radio National.

“I think our focus should be on re-earning the trust that the Liberal party has lost in recent times from our traditional supporters before we even contemplate arrangements with any other political party.”

Patersons said he didn’t agree with Pasin’s suggestion, saying the Liberals should run in “every single seat” nationwide.

“I am not interested in dividing the spoils with another political party two years out from the election and frankly hitching our wagon to their brand with all the risks that that entails between now and then.”