As the right-wing populist surge arrives in Australia, one question hangs in the air: will our preference system accelerate or blunt Pauline Hanson’s rise?
The wash-up from One Nation’s first lower house win, when David Farley trounced moderate independent Michelle Milthorpe in Farrer, is providing the first clues at a federal level.
“What it shows us is that when they’re knocked out, Liberal voters do favour One Nation. But they don’t favour them overwhelmingly,” election analyst Ben Raue tells us.
The Australian Electoral Commission has published full data on the preference flows behind Farley’s 58-42 two-party preferred victory last month.
