Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has vowed he will focus on policy and not One Nation preference deals as he and Pauline Hanson jostled to win the support of West Australians this week.
The State was at the centre of the intense political fight for the conservative vote over the past three days, with both brushing off talk over an Election alliance and instead pledging reversing the Albanese Government’s slammed tax changes, capping migration and addressing the housing crisis were among their priorities.
The Liberal Leader was on Friday peppered with questions about working with Ms Hanson to take down the Labor Government — on the back of polling showing the minor party is now the most popular in the nation — but was adamant it was not his focus.
“We are 18 months or two years away from an election,” he told reporters.
“My focus is on the Australian people and ... the prosperity and the opportunities for Australians and Western Australians.”
Mr Taylor instead used Friday to give details on his one-policy solution to both migration and housing that was revealed by The West Australian, arguing the number of people moving to the country should be capped to be in line with the available properties.
“Our aim is to make housing affordable and accessible for hardworking young Australians. That’s the goal,” he said.
“Affordability has many factors to it, and it’s got to be more affordable. That means we’ve got to see rising incomes, we’ve got to see lower interest rates, we’ve got to see more accessible housing, and more houses being built.”
The Liberal Leader took another swipe at Anthony Albanese’s controversial tax overhaul in his Budget of broken promises, this time labelling a two-day Senate inquiry into the changes a sham.
“This government should make itself accountable. It should allow the scrutiny that should be given to their bad taxes, their toxic taxes that will take Australians backwards,” Mr Taylor said.
Mr Taylor — who was due to attend a whisky dinner organised by the Liberals on Friday night — did not identify any seats he was specifically targeting in WA and could not name the Hasluck electorate he was standing in at the time, despite it belonging to his party from 2010-2022.
“I don’t know the answer to that,” he said in an awkward moment at his press conference.
Ms Hanson flew out of Perth on Friday at the same time her Fire the Liar campaign against the Prime Minister ticked past $2.7 million, with the fundraising drive a response to Mr Albanese’s call for donations to help fight the rise of her minor party.
The One Nation leader had ended her trip with a function at Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Iron Ore headquarters in West Perth the night prior, saying on Friday morning the focus was on policy.
“She’s been very beneficial, I listen to anyone who brings good policy to me,” she said of the billionaire, who had previously gifted her a $1.5 million private plane.
Ms Hanson had received a hero’s welcome during her two days in Perth, while a number protested her visit, chanting racists were not welcome because of her tough stance on migration.
The Queensland Senator also outlined reversing the contentious tax overhaul as a top priority, as well as migration and housing, while similarly brushing off Liberal preference deal questioning.
“This Government brought in the worst Budget that we have ever seen,” Ms Hanson said.
“The worst Budget. This is about socialism, this is about communism.”
Ms Hanson — who also affirmed her commitment to WA keeping its fair share of the GST — declared making deals with the Liberal Party was not on her agenda, instead focusing on policy.
“I think these former Liberals are starting to wake up to themselves. Their party is going out to nowhere,” she said.
“They’ve got to take blame for what the state of the nation is in, along with Labor.”
Ms Hanson also outlined her view on capping the number of migrants being allowed into the nation, while also vowing to take on any “useless” Labor politicians who had “done nothing but destroy” the country.
Her visit won over a number of swing voters, including the likes of nurse Mahsa Gleeson, who migrated to Perth from Iran 16 years ago, telling The West Australian she was frustrated by the lies of those in power.
“At first I was a very Greens and Labor person, being a nurse.
“Broken promises, lies, I feel they are pushing people toward a socialism that has failed in many, many societies”.
“I have children in Australia, and I think if they make it harder (to migrate) in the right way, as in, if you have good values, you have the skills to contribute to Australian society, well, I think you will be let in based on the process.”
Ms Hanson spoke to a sold-out crowd at the Midland event on Thursday, where she opened up about her personal life, including her 11 weeks in prison in 2003 and experience with domestic violence.
She wiped away tears as she spoke of the “witch-hunt” against when found guilty of electoral fraud charges that were later overturned and her split from her second marriage.
“Our marriage broke down, and I won’t go into detail, but I have (had) domestic violence as well in my marriage,” she said.
“That’s a little bit of knowledge and history of knowing what happens, running small business, been involved in domestic violence.
“We split up in 1987 and from that time I’ve actually been a single woman, I’ve had a couple of relationships, but I’ve never married again, it’s not something for me.”
The Labor Party were on Friday quick to pounce on Mr Taylor’s inability to name the electorate he was standing in, claiming he did not “get” WA.”
“Yesterday, his team was giving up seats to One Nation. Today, he cannot even tell us where he is,” Assistant Minister to the PM Patrick Gorman said.
“The Liberals are lost on policy and now they are lost on the electoral map,” Assistant Minister to the PM Patrick Gorman said.
Mr Gormann’s comments came after Mr Taylor was drawn into a war of words with the Albanese Government the day prior, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers hitting out at him for being incompetent and born into privilege.
“Our opponents who say we’re pulling up the ladder don’t understand there’s not much point in a ladder with the first few rungs missing,” he said in a speech to Labor faithful on Thursday.
“Not everybody is born already at the top of the ladder like Angus Taylor was, not everybody fails upwards like he has.
“The irony of their position is they want to change the Government in order to leave everything as it is — a truly absurd proposition.”
Mr Taylor hit back while speaking to reporters in Mandurah on Thursday, saying he was very proud of his family background.
“My parents worked, as so many farmers and small business people do, seven days a week, weekdays, daytime bled into night time, weekdays into weekends,” he told reporters.
“Holidays would get interrupted regularly, because that’s what you do when you’re running a small business or a farm.
“They worked hard, and they did well. And my three brothers and I benefited from their hard work, and I’ve sought to do the same for my four kids.
“That’s what this country is about, that’s what I believe in, that’s what aspiration is all about.
“Jim Chalmers, like the Prime Minister, should focus on his job, because he’s failed Australians, he’s a failed Treasurer.”
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