Pauline Hanson tips 'strong possibility' more Coalition MPs will defect to One Nation
After fresh polling put One Nation level with the Coalition, its leader has told Capital Brief the Liberal Party has been "taken over by moderates" and criticised two of its would-be leaders.
Pauline Hanson has tipped further Coalition defections to One Nation and questioned the leadership credentials of would-be Liberal contenders Angus Taylor and Andrew Hastie, after new polling suggested the far-right party is surging in popularity with voters.
Buoyed by the Coalition’s ongoing struggles and the defection of former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce, One Nation has steadily eaten into the conservative vote since the election last May.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley was dealt a fresh blow last week, with DemosAU polling conducted exclusively for Capital Brief showing the Coalition’s primary vote had fallen to 23%, with One Nation rising to match it. It is the first time a minor party has been level with a traditional party of government in Australia.
In an interview with Capital Brief, Hanson said further Coalition defections was a “strong possibility”, but warned she would not accept anyone “jumping on the coattails because they see a rise in the polls”.
