Jeff Kennett urges coalition with One Nation to defeat Labor
One Nation’s stunning result in the South Australian election has convinced Jeff Kennett that Pauline Hanson’s party must be welcomed into a broad “Victorian coalition” to ensure Labor is defeated in the November state election.
As debate rages between the Liberal and National parties in Victoria over how best to respond to the rise of One Nation, the former Liberal premier has called on them to put the interests of the state first and work with anyone who opposes Labor.
This could extend to including One Nation or independent MPs in the front bench of a future non-Labour government, Kennett said.
“The government is corrupt. It supports corruption and the people understand this more and more every day,” he said. Age On Monday.
“If the coalition can’t win on its own, I wouldn’t hesitate to ask for and invite some of those select people whose experience we may not need to form a coalition for Victoria.
“I’m not worried about One Nation. They’re part of the democratic process. If Pauline [Hanson] He says he plans to take over Victoria, so be it. Kennett said those elected and opposed to corruption must all work together.
“Victoria is much more important to me right now than the Liberal Party, Labor or One Nation.”
But Opposition Leader Jess Wilson has refused to ally with One Nation.
Kennett’s radical idea to offer MPs from a populist, anti-immigration party a seat at the Victorian cabinet table is likely to be embraced by Premier Jacinta Allan, who on Monday claimed a secret deal had already been struck between One Nation and the Liberal and National parties.
Referring to One Nation upper house member Rikkie-Lee Tyrell’s comments on ABC Radio that her party and the opposition “have the same agenda”, Allan said the “cat is out of the bag”.
“One Nation and the Liberal and National parties are working together in coalition,” the Prime Minister said.
“The only way to stop One Nation and support a fairer, better, stronger Victoria is to vote Labour.”
The prospect of One Nation moving into a balance of power position offers Labor, which is seeking a fourth consecutive term in the November state election, a new rallying cry to mobilize its progressive base.
In an interview with broadcaster Raf Epstein, Tyrell said growing support for One Nation would “definitely be a jolt” for Victorian politics.
“I would like the coalition to realize that One Nation is not the enemy,” he said. “We both have the same agenda. We want to get rid of Labor and we need to work together to do that.”
One Nation became the most popular non-Labor party in the state with 22.4 per cent of votes counted in the South Australian election as of 4pm on Monday. Support for the Liberal Party fell to 19 per cent, while Labor gained a healthy 37.7 per cent.
The split among centre-right voters left the Liberal Party behind in parliament and helped give Peter Malinauskas’ second-term Labor government a record majority. But One Nation only won one lower house seat.
The Victorian opposition is now divided over how best to respond to the South Australian result. Opposition deputy leader David Southwick said on Monday the election showed what happens when the anti-Labour vote is fragmented.
“We know that Jacinta Allan’s chances of being re-elected after November will increase if people switch to other parties,” he said. “People can’t risk that. If we want to see the back of Jacinta Allan, we need to make sure we vote Liberal and National in November.”
Others in the coalition believe the rise of One Nation in Victoria opens a path to victory for Hanson’s candidates if they win Labor’s once-safe seats, particularly in the western and northern suburbs.
Kennett said Australian politics had experienced the most rapid change since the Recession of 1975, and in stark contrast to South Australia, where Labor entered the election campaign with a popular leader and strong primary support, voters abandoned Labor in Victoria after 12 years of government and months of damaging revelations about widespread corruption at government construction sites.
“This is a whole different kettle of fish,” he said. “Every day people are turning their backs on what Labor is doing. They have no chance of winning. They’re going to lose a lot of seats.”
Kennett also said some in the Coalition would be tempted to run against the government and One Nation in the election, but that would be a fatal mistake.
“In South Australia, Peter did that. That’s because he ran a good government and everyone expected him to win. Here in Victoria, we don’t have the resources or creativity to fight on two fronts; he will attack both One Nation and the government. My argument is that you focus on what you need to do, which is to defeat Labor in the interests of the state.”
One Nation is contesting the Nepean by-election caused by the resignation of former Liberal deputy leader Sam Groth. However, Victoria has yet to announce its candidates or policies for the state election.
In the last federal election, the minor party campaigned on promises to significantly reduce immigration and abandon Australia’s pledge to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Start your day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Chip Le Grand leads our state politics reporting team. He had previously served as the newspaper’s chief correspondent and was a journalist with 30 years of experience.Connect via email.
