Liberal leader Angus Taylor has rejected a proposal from one of his own shadow ministers to cooperate with One Nation, as internal divisions emerge over how to handle Pauline Hanson's electoral threat.
Tony Pasin, a conservative Liberal from rural South Australia and a shadow minister on Taylor's frontbench, suggested the two parties should "work hand-in-glove" to defeat Labor at the next election. In comments to The Australian newspaper, Pasin reportedly said the parties "should work together to identify which seats are more appropriately targeted" by One Nation or the Coalition, claiming they could pool resources and "get two seats for the price of one."
Pasin has more reason than most to worry about One Nation's surge. One Nation ran third in his seat of Barker at the 2025 election, and Hanson's party won seats at South Australia's March state election in areas overlapping with Pasin's federal seat. Former ABC election analyst Antony Green noted on X that "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, the modern Liberal Party is more open to cooperation. Party president Tony Abbott, a confidant of Taylor, suggested preference swaps and that the Coalition should work with "whoever we can" to defeat Labor. Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie also 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 told the ABC: "No, there's no plan to carve up seats. We won't be doing that." He said the focus would be on a Labor government that is "taking this country in the wrong direction, with higher taxes, fewer houses, immigration not in line with housing supply, and a broken energy system."
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" – a likely reference to skills minister Andrew Giles. Adam Giles is the former Liberal chief minister of the Northern Territory, now CEO of Hancock Agriculture.
One Nation claims it has raised more than $1.7 million in a donation drive aimed at targeting Labor seats, according to a tracker on its website. However, the figure is unverified as the party does not disclose donations in real-time. Taylor questioned the claims, saying "every dollar that's being raised right now should be focused on beating Labor. I'm not sure that is the case." He added that the Liberal Party must focus on "re-establishing trust and credibility" in the electorate.
Liberal senator James Paterson, the shadow defence minister, called any discussion about preference swaps "premature" and raised concerns about One Nation's candidate quality. "I think frankly One Nation has a lot of work to do to get themselves into a fit state to contest the election," he told Radio National. He disagreed with Pasin's suggestion, saying the Liberals should run in "every single seat" nationwide and should not be "dividing the spoils with another political party two years out from the election."
