South Australian Liberal MP Tony Pasin has suggested the Liberal Party and One Nation should cooperate to avoid running against each other in the next federal election, a proposal swiftly rejected by shadow treasurer Angus Taylor and other senior colleagues.
Pasin, a shadow minister and conservative Liberal from rural South Australia, told The Australian the two parties should “work hand-in-glove to defeat Labor” by identifying which seats each should target, potentially pooling resources to “get two seats for the price of one.” Pasin holds the seat of Barker, where One Nation came third at the 2025 election, and the party performed strongly in overlapping areas at the March state election.
Angus Taylor dismissed the idea on Thursday, telling the ABC: “No, there’s no plan to carve up seats. We won’t be doing that.” He said the Liberal Party’s focus should be on criticising Labor’s record on taxes, housing, immigration, and energy, not on seat-sharing deals.
Former prime minister John Howard and former Liberal leader Tony Abbott have previously indicated openness to preference swaps with One Nation, but Senator James Paterson called any discussion “premature,” citing concerns about One Nation’s candidate quality. He said the Liberals should run in every seat and focus on rebuilding trust with voters.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has targeted several Labor-held seats, including those of ministers Chris Bowen, Tony Burke, Clare O’Neil, Madeleine King, and Andrew Giles. The party claims to have raised over $1.7 million for a donation drive aimed at defeating Labor, though the figure is unverified.
