Updated ,first published
Pauline Hanson has moved to shut the door on a potential wave of Coalition defectors joining One Nation, warning she was not interested in “opportunists” fleeing the Liberal and National parties after a collapse in opinion polls.
The One Nation leader said only a handful of Coalition MPs aligned closely enough with her party’s values to be welcomed into its ranks, despite a recent influx of conservatives at federal and state level crossing from the Liberals and Nationals, including former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce.
A large-scale analysis of voter intentions published by the Australian Financial Review showed that One Nation could win 53 seats if an election were held now, while the Coalition could slump to just 12. Labor would be on 76, holding on to majority government by a single seat.
The poll predicted the Coalition would be wiped out in the lower house in Queensland and Western Australia.
“There are very few Liberal or National party MPs who I would have in One Nation,” Hanson told this masthead. “I’m not interested in opportunists worried about losing their seats. I have too many good people in One Nation who would make great MPs.”
Hanson, who turned 72 on Wednesday, also hosed down speculation she was considering handing over the One Nation leadership or retiring from politics, saying she would be crazy to walk away while at the peak of her popularity.
The comments come after former Liberal senator Hollie Hughes and ex-Liberal vice-president Teena McQueen formally joined One Nation earlier this month, fuelling speculation more conservatives could defect as the Coalition grapples with a bruising internal ideological fight.
Hughes, who lost her Senate spot at the last election, and McQueen, a longtime powerbroker in the party’s conservative faction, said they had become disillusioned with the Liberals’ direction under its moderate wing.
But Hanson’s intervention suggests One Nation is seeking to avoid becoming a refuge for defeated or displaced conservatives, amid concerns within the party about maintaining its outsider identity.
The Queenslander said there was only one Liberal she definitely wanted in her ranks.
“I’d have [Senator] Alex Antic in a heartbeat – I think his views are closely aligned with One Nation’s – but it’s up to him to make the move,” she said.
Antic appeared to hose down rumours of a defection this week by announcing he would run for president of the South Australian Liberal division, pitching himself as part of a conservative revival inside the party.
In a message to supporters, first reported by Guardian Australia, Antic praised what he described as a federal Liberal “dream team” featuring Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, Nationals senator Matt Canavan and former prime minister Tony Abbott, who was recently elected president of the federal Liberal division.
“This is, without doubt, a dream team – and it has inspired me to announce my candidacy for President of the South Australian Division,” Antic said.
The senator urged members to back a return to “Menzies tradition of liberty and resolute opposition to socialism” after the South Australian Liberals were reduced to just five lower house seats at the March state election.
He also called on supporters to mobilise at branch annual general meetings and bolster the Liberal Women’s Council to resist a “serious challenge” from moderates within the party.
Antic was contacted for comment.
Hanson, who has formed a close alliance with mining magnate Gina Rinehart over the past year, released an image of her sharing a birthday cake with billionaire businessman Clive Palmer on Wednesday.
It was reported by Sky News Australia last February that Hanson and Palmer had spoken before the 2025 election about a possible political alliance.
Sources familiar with the discussions said Palmer offered up to $10 million to bankroll One Nation and proposed renaming the party the “Clive and Pauline Party”, or “CAP”.
Hanson said that Palmer had offered advice on several policy positions, including cost-of-living issues. She said Palmer would not be joining the party as a candidate.
“If he wanted to put some money towards [One Nation], I’d have no problems,” Hanson said. “I talk to everyone … billionaires, I talk to the average person, farmers, tradies … anyone.”
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Rob Harris is the national correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age based in Canberra. He is a former Europe correspondent.Connect via email.
