‘Never, ever’: Tim Wilson walks back comments on potential One Nation rightwing alliance | Liberal party
Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson backtracked from previous comments that left the door open to such an arrangement, saying he would “never, never, never” support a coalition government with One Nation.
Urging the Liberals to “move on” by stating what they stand for, Wilson joined other senior figures in the party rejecting any partnership with the right-wing populist party.
Following One Nation’s resounding victory in the Farrer byelection, in which it easily won a seat held by the Coalition for 77 years and gave the Liberals 12% of the primary vote, the focus has been on how the Angus Taylor-led party will fend off threats from both its left and right wings.
On Sunday Wilson floated the possibility of forming a government with One Nation, but on Monday he and other senior Liberal figures refused to join forces, despite the split of the conservative vote in Australia and One Nation consistently voting against the Coalition in what amounts to an existential threat to the Coalition’s continued existence.
“Of course, traditionally we form a coalition with the National Party but it’s up to the Australian people to decide who they want to vote for,” Wilson, a Liberal moderate who won a turquoise seat in the 2025 election, told the ABC’s Insider program on Sunday when asked about the potential to work with One Nation.
“It all depends on what the Australians come up with.”
But when asked about those comments on Monday, Wilson denied such a right-wing alliance.
“I will never, never, never, ever make such a statement in favor of such accommodation,” he said. “The truth is that the leader of that party [Pauline Hanson] “He has already announced that he will not form a coalition with us and I have no interest in forming a coalition with them.”
Shadow foreign secretary Ted O’Brien also rejected the idea, saying: “We have no plans to enter into a coalition with One Nation.”
Former National MP Barnaby Joyce, who switched to One Nation, said his party would offer confidence to the Coalition in parliament if such a situation arose, but rejected a formal alliance.
Joyce told Channel Nine that his colleagues would not want to be “collapsed by cabinet solidarity”, adding: “We will offer supply and confidence in policy outcomes… and this is not a coalition. We don’t want you to keep your ministries, your ministries and your salaries.”
Wilson accused One Nation of “arrogance” in its comments about its leaders targeting seats in western Sydney and major cities, but acknowledged that the Coalition needed to work harder to keep voters on its side, while acknowledging that many voters wanted change and were fed up with the political status quo.
“People are facing choices about how to deliver change and they are sending a very clear message to the government,” Wilson said.
“There’s a lot of work to be done, and no one is pretending otherwise, and that’s why we will put forward a bold, confident vision for the future of the country, underpinned by policies that support this nation’s self-employed, small businesses, families and communities. And we must get on with it.”
While the One Nation rise has largely damaged the Coalition so far, the Labor government is aware of the anti-establishment and anti-status quo messages coming from Hanson’s rise. Anthony Albanese was reluctant to harshly criticize One Nation voters; instead he focused his criticism on Hanson’s lack of real-world results despite a long career in politics.
“It’s clear there are a lot of people under financial pressure who feel the system isn’t working for them,” the Prime Minister told ABC Radio National. “And this is a message to all political parties in the system.
“I respect people’s right to vote, whatever their decision. But of course One Nation is not a government party. They are a political party led by someone who promotes grievance over solutions.”
