As many people have remarked, whatever you think of her politics, Hanson has guts and persistence. In the lead-up to the last election, Pauline Hanson and her One Nation party endured an astonishing barrage of hatchet-jobs and gotchas. The legacy media often seemed to be working hand-in-glove with underhanded political operators, especially with the series of secret video recordings made by a Qatari-linked fake lobbying organisation.
A recurrent tactic by the political left is to try and shove One Nation right out of the Overton Window, shrieking that their policies are beyond the pale of allowable (by the left) public discourse. Then, any political party that even looks like cutting a preference deal with One Nation is smeared by association. This is a gambit by the left to firstly, try and starve One Nation out of parliament, and to secondly nobble the Coalition by denying them One Nation preferences.
Yet, as post-election analysis shows, the scaremongering by Labor and the Greens is just another election campaign lie.
None of the Coalition’s Queensland MPs needed more than 50 per cent of One Nation preferences to win their seat at the May 18 election.
In fact, it was Labor who relied on the Greens.
In contrast, Greens preferences helped secure victories at the May election for 13 Labor MPs who were in losing Âpositions before the final allocation of preferences.
The only real effect of One Nation in Queensland, where Labor was all but wiped out, was simply to boost the Coalition’s winning margin.
Analysis by The Australian of newly released Australian Electoral Commission data shows that in 12 Queensland seats ultimately won by the Coalition and where Pauline Hanson’s party finished third, the government had secured 50 per cent of the vote or was leading Labor before One Nation preferences were distributed. Although One Nation preferences did not cost any Labor candidate victory in Queensland, preference flows from Senator Hanson’s party to the Coalition of up to 73 per cent did help to boost the LNP candidates’ winning margins.
During the election campaign, Labor campaigned strongly on One Nation preferences, warning votes for the party would deliver the Coalition victory.
So, about as truthful as any of their other scare campaigns, like the notorious “Mediscare” campaign of 2016. The truth is that Labor is being led by the nose by the Greens whose preferences they desperately need. Meanwhile, traditional Labor voters are turning to One Nation, who increasingly stand for the blue-collar values Labor have abandoned. Hanson’s campaign slogan was particularly enticing to formerly rusted-on Labor voters: We’ve got the guts to say what you’re thinking. Labor’s obsession with right-on “progressive” nostrums like climate change, asylum seekers and the nuttiest fringes of rainbow activism might play well in the inner suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne, but the party needs to remember that there is a whole other nation outside the quinoa-proof fence.
Liberal National senator James McGrath said the analysis showed the difficulty Mr Albanese would have in shifting Labor’s agenda to the centre. “This shows Labor cannot win without Greens preferences, which is why Labor keep tacking to the left policy-wise,” Senator McGrath said. “The lesson from 2019 was to listen to the quiet Australians. This shows for Labor to win they have to listen to the Greens.”
theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/greens-helped-get-alp-home-in-13-seats
The Green tail wagging the Labor dog: a familiar story.