‘Should know better’: Hanson accuses PM of incitement
Andrew Brown and Noah Secomb |
Pauline Hanson has accused the prime minister of inciting political violence against her after he called One Nation dangerous and dishonest.
Anthony Albanese used a speech at Queensland’s Labor conference to criticise One Nation as a threat to democracy.
“(They are) peddling politics that is dangerous, divisive and downright dishonest. We simply must defeat them. We owe it to history,” he told the conference on Sunday.
“They’ll say anything and do anything to win votes. Bend any facts, peddle misinformation and disinformation, turn Australian against Australian.”
But One Nation’s leader said Mr Albanese was inciting violence against her through the comments.
“He’s never called anyone else out as being dangerous and a lot of people are in fear of it,” she told reporters in Victoria on Monday.
“I’ve been getting that many death threats, and that’s happening …. a prime minister should know better than that.”
The comments were made following One Nation’s rise in the latest Newspoll, published on Sunday night, which showed Senator Hanson’s party taking the lead on primary votes at 30 per cent, compared to Labor’s 29 per cent.
One Nation also made in-roads at a WA by-election, winning the former Labor safe seat of Secret Harbour on Saturday to gain a seat in the state’s lower house.
Senator Hanson said the criticism from the prime minister showed the government was concerned about the rise of One Nation.
“You don’t go out saying these things, and they’re all scared,” she said.
“They’re scared because now we’ve won a safe Labor seat, and this is worrying them.”
Labor assistant minister Patrick Gorman rejected claims the prime minister was inciting violence against One Nation.
“(One Nation) are dangerous, populist and dishonest, and I can give you a whole range of examples as how I think their policies would be dangerous for the Australian people,” he told News24.
The Newspoll also showed the coalition on 19 per cent, with the Greens nudging down to 13 per cent.
One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce said a sense of “dry pragmatism” had attracted voters to the party.
“They don’t like this idea that you have two people who sort of have a closed shop, a political closed shop, and you you can only go to one or the other, and there’s nothing to really shake the show up,” Mr Joyce told the ABC.
Less than a quarter of those surveyed picked Liberal leader Angus Taylor as their first choice for prime minister, with Anthony Albanese maintaining a healthy lead of 46 per cent.
The poll also found 31 per cent of those surveyed preferred Senator Hanson as prime minister.
The minor party faced open criticism and booing at anti-migration protests on Sunday after a week of confusion over its own migration targets.
One Nation’s newest MP David Farley went against pledges to cut net overseas migration by 130,000 triggering reports he may look to quit the party.
Mr Joyce dismissed the speculation.
“David’s got very broad shoulders,” he said.
“He’s been in, you know, tough corporate environments, and he’s more than capable to hold his own and to express his views within the One Nation Party room.”
Focus now turns to Victoria ahead of its state election in November where One Nation is hoping to win multiple seats.
AAP