Pauline Hanson lashes 'arrogant' critics who say One Nation can't go mainstream

Pauline Hanson says her party is here for the long haul. (AAP: Bianca de Marchi) One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says her rivals have been "arrogant" in thinking the party cannot go mainstream, following its victory at Farrer. Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson did not rule out a future coalition with One Nation, as the Liberal party reels from another defeat. One Nation has signalled its next electoral focus will be Western Sydney. Link copiedShareShare articleFollowing One Nation's extraordinary victory at the Farrer by-election last night, the party's leader Pauline Hanson has taunted critics who said she could never break into the mainstream. One Nation has won Farrer in a landslide victory, decimating the Liberal and National vote, and claiming the first lower house win for the conservative party since Senator Hanson first entered parliament in 1996. Senator Hanson told Sky News she had been "ridiculed" in the past by political rivals who claimed she could never win a lower house seat again and now that barrier had been broken. The One Nation leader said politicians and the media had been "arrogant". "It's the sheer arrogance, like we don't have any right to be on the political scene. What the hell? Isn't this a democracy? Don't you put your policies forward and what you want to do for the people? "Or are we a third-world country; we have no right to go out there and express what we want to do for the country? This is why they will lose." One Nation's victory on Saturday, while anticipated, has still caused ripples in the major parties. Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson acknowledged the defeat at Farrer, which had previously only ever been held by the Liberals and Nationals, was a condemnation of the Coalition, which only 12 months ago won 43 per cent of the vote in that seat. Angry at a political system they feel is broken and unfair, the voters of Farrer walked into polling booths ready to inflict electoral pain. But Mr Wilson warned Labor it should not be complacent either. "Because what people want to see is change," Mr Wilson told ABC Insiders. "One of the most consistent messages is people want someone who is going to fight for them and their future. "[And] people are going to be very antagonistic towards the government breaking its promises on tax issues in the lead-up to the budget." Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the result was a "bloodbath" for the Coalition, teasing that they would not reclaim power without One Nation's help. "There's no future Coalition government, I think, without One Nation in it," Mr Chalmers told the ABC. "And I would be very surprised if the clock wasn't already ticking on Angus Taylor's leadership." Mr Chalmers added the budget he would hand down on Tuesday would not "lightly dismiss or deny" the real concerns of voters that played out at the Farrer by-election. Inside the Liberal Party, still finding its feet from its worst election result in modern history, senior figures are now entertaining whether the party would enter a coalition with One Nation if it was the only pathway to power at the next federal election. Former prime minister Tony Abbott, who is now contesting for the party's federal presidency, has openly mulled that possibility. Mr Wilson, a Liberal moderate, did not reject the possibility of a coalition with One Nation. "Of course we traditionally form a coalition with the National Party, but it's up to the Australian people to decide who they want to vote for," he said. Tim Wilson says Labor MPs should also be nervous about the Farrer by-election result. (ABC News: Matt Roberts) Deputy Liberal leader Jane Hume did not entertain whether the Liberals would govern alongside One Nation when asked on Sky News this morning. But the senator also did not rule out the option. "We're already in coalition, we're in coalition with the National Party and that coalition has served Australians well," Senator Hume told Sky News. Ousted opposition leader Sussan Ley, whose retirement triggered the Farrer by-election, said last night the party would have to "change or die". That remark was the same Angus Taylor made when he gave his justification for challenging Ms Ley. Senator Hume said Ms Ley was entitled to have her say, but "it was interesting on the booths though, no-one mentioned Sussan Ley to me, not in pre-poll and not on election day". Copy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesTop-earning Australians make money very differently from typical workersTopic:Budget

Pauline Hanson lashes 'arrogant' critics who say One Nation can't go mainstream

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