Labor to highlight ‘risk’ of One Nation to cost of living in bid to dent Pauline Hanson’s popularity | One Nation
Labor will seek to highlight Pauline Hanson’s record of opposing cost of living relief for working people as it seeks to prevent One Nation from further eroding its voter base.
As the government grapples with how to deal with Hanson’s rise, a Labor MP has predicted One Nation’s support has peaked and the right-wing populist party will not be able to repeat its poll success in the federal election.
But Labor MP Mike Freelander said his party should continue to examine options to help hard-pressed workers, including further income tax cuts.
a new Redbridge Group/Accent Research The poll, published in the Australian Financial Review, put One Nation ahead of Labor for the first time, making it the most popular political party in the country.
The outcome provides further evidence that One Nation poses an existential threat to the Liberals and Nationals, while also representing a growing danger to Labor.
On Monday, Hanson answered media questions about the possibility of him becoming prime minister despite holding just two of One Nation’s 150 lower house seats.
“Do I have the talent to do this? I’m sure I do,” he told 2GB radio.
Hanson’s poll numbers have continued to rise despite a series of controversies that would normally damage a politician’s reputation and force major parties to reassess their approach to tackling One Nation.
Labor is seeking further scrutiny over Hanson’s record opposing the cost of living relief for working-class voters he claims to champion.
One Nation leader signals he won’t support a deal Real increase in minimum wage When the Independent Fair Work Commission announced its annual verdict on Tuesday.
Albanian government supports salary increase “economically sustainable” but above the inflation rate, which stood at 4.2% in the 12 months to March.
Appearing on morning television with One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce, social services minister Tanya Plibersek called out her party’s opposition to support for workers.
“Every opportunity they got, they voted against things that would actually make life easier for Australians, things that would make life easier,” Plibersek said on Channel 7’s Sunrise programme.
Other senior Labor ministers downplayed the significance of the new opinion poll but acknowledged voters were suffering.
The federal budget also appears to have damaged the government’s reputation, with health secretary Mark Butler admitting “it will take some time” to announce contentious changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax relief.
A senior government source said Labor’s challenge was to highlight the “risk” of One Nation and its policies, arguing that Hanson was now perceived as a “risk-free” option for angry voters.
Freelander said opinion polls could not be ignored but he was confident support for One Nation had reached its peak.
“A lot of things have gone in their favor. There’s a budget that’s caused some controversy. People are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and you know they’re [One Nation] “Farrer had a bit of wind in his sails because of the by-election,” he said.
The Macarthur MP said personal attacks on Hanson were “wrong” and counterproductive, insisting the focus should be on One Nation’s policy positions.
The backbencher said the government should “stick to its guns” on its agenda but remain open to more cost-of-living assistance.
The government is introducing five separate changes to reduce income tax that, when fully implemented, would benefit the average worker by up to $2,800 a year.
But Freelander said Labor must be prepared to go further.
“On taxation, I think we need to look at how we can improve people’s take-home pay, how we can change the tax system,” he said.
“I think we need to keep looking at how we can make this better. We shouldn’t rest on our laurels by any means.”
