One Nation surges ahead of Labor: Poll. By Phillip Coorey in The Financial Review.
One Nation has surged past Labor to become Australia’s most popular political party …
The latest The Australian Financial Review/Redbridge Group/Accent Research poll reveals primary support for One Nation has jumped four percentage points to 31 per cent since the pre-budget poll a month ago, while Labor’s primary vote fell three points to 28 per cent.
Redbridge director Tony Barry:
“The downstream effects of the budget and another interest rate rise is Labor have lost more vote share, but the Coalition aren’t the beneficiaries on a primary vote basis,” he said.
“With almost two-thirds of the electorate now saying Australia is heading in the wrong direction, that pervasive negative mood sentiment is fuelling more anti-establishment support and a view among a growing cohort of voters that the answer lies outside established norms and major parties.”
Meanwhile, Pauline Hanson said on Sky News this weekend that she is up to the job of leading the country.
Liberals want to work with One Nation:
Liberal MP Garth Hamilton: ““She has one of the highest profiles of politicians in Australia. Please come back and work with us.” …
Opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan has not ruled out working with One Nation – or working under a One Nation prime ministership. …
“My view has always been that all of the parties in the centre-right need to work together if we are going to be able to defeat the Labor Party,
Mr Abbott said it was “humiliating” that “the Prime Minister can’t do a public event without standing in front of three flags, not the one national flag that represents us all, and can’t open his mouth without suggesting that some Australians are more worthy of acknowledgement than others”.
“I just think this is wrong, I think it’s got to change,” he told ABC RN.
“Australia belongs to all of us, not just to some of us. And if you’re starting a speech, I think you should acknowledge everyone.”
Humiliating and divisive