Coalition talking points make scant mention of One Nation

Senior Liberals are expected to devise their own responses to direct questions about Pauline Hanson. (ABC News: Matt Roberts) Coalition talking points make almost no direct mention of One Nation despite the minor party surging in the polls. The document obtained by the ABC instead focuses attacks on Labor and leaves senior Liberals to devise their own responses to direct questions about Pauline Hanson and her party. Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has emphasised discipline and unity to colleagues ahead of the winter break, admitting it will take 'hard work' to win back voters. Link copiedShareShare articleDaily talking points distributed to senior Coalition MPs instruct them to say the party must "stay the course" in the face of dismal polling, but do not offer guidance on direct questions about One Nation. The strategic document commonly used to ensure the shadow ministry is presenting a consistent message to the public makes no reference to Pauline Hanson and only once names her resurgent minor party, according to the latest version obtained by the ABC. The seven pages of talking points provided to senior Liberals and Nationals on Tuesday instead focus on topics ranging from taxes and auction clearance rates, to polling and multiculturalism. In a lengthy section responding to polling showing Ms Hanson's party continues to outperform the Coalition, opposition frontbenchers are urged to tell the public they will turn the result around with more time. Farrer residents are putting Pauline Hanson and One Nation to the test. "We will do that in three ways: prove we are the only party that can deliver real, credible and competent change; be clear about what the Coalition stands for; expose the risks of both Labor and One Nation," the document said. Coalition MPs are also encouraged to argue Labor's minor improvement in two separate polls published on Monday was a result of the federal government having "conned" voters into believing It had "fully backflipped" on its tax plan. About six points in the polling section explicitly criticise Labor's tax plans and a similar number of lines relate to the Coalition's own policies as a contrast, but no further mention of Ms Hanson's party appears anywhere in the document. Senior Liberal sources told the ABC this strategy, if deployed consistently, would clearly differentiate the Coalition from both Labor and One Nation. While Angus Taylor grapples with the Coalition's dilemma of how to keep the centre while diverting voters away from Pauline Hanson's party, Andrew Hastie has been talking tough on One Nation. The approach is markedly different from the direct attacks launched by frontbenchers like Liberals Andrew Hastie and Garth Hamilton, and Nationals leader senator Matt Canavan. Mr Hastie told his supporters last week if Ms Hanson was after "war" that was what she would get from him. The talking points instead urge senior Coalition members to "stay the course" and insist Australians have simply "not heard enough" about what the opposition has to offer. A Liberal source said previous versions of the shadow ministry daily talking points have at times included more direct lines about One Nation, including suggestions on how to rebut and contrast policies put forward by Ms Hanson when she spoke at the National Press Club last month. Redbridge director and former Liberal strategist Tony Barry said both Labor and the Coalition did not fully understand the "profile" of a One Nation voter. "They attribute various motivations to why they're currently supporting the insurgent party, but it's not particularly based on research so there's a lot of guesswork going on," he said. Mr Barry said because the Coalition did not understand what was animating One Nation voters, they were struggling to respond. Opposition Leader Angus Taylor used the final Coalition party room meeting before parliament breaks for the winter to highlight the importance of discipline to his colleagues. Mr Taylor argued Australians were angry and frustrated due to Labor's failings and "broken trust". Pauline Hanson's One Nation party has surged in popularity this year. (ABC News: Matt Roberts) In the context of One Nation's rise, he stressed the importance of focusing on the issues Australians were angry about by demonstrating a strong plan, conviction and unity. But Mr Taylor also acknowledged it would take "hard work" for the party to win back support. Liberal frontbencher Melissa McIntosh on Monday sparked backlash from her colleagues after suggesting the party needed a "rebrand". The idea was rejected by former prime minister and Liberal Party federal president Tony Abbott. Liberal frontbencher Melissa McIntosh has suggested the party needs a rebrand. (ABC News: Callum Flinn) "(it) would hardly be the Liberal Party if weren't (called) the Liberal Party," Mr Abbott told the Australian. Ms McIntosh then doubled down on Tuesday, acknowledging her statement was a "bit blunt" but insi

Coalition talking points make scant mention of One Nation

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