New Liberal president Tony Abbott has backed preference deals with One Nation as he declared the party wouldn't win the next election by being "slaves to focus groups" and just a "little less woke than Labor". This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
Opposition leader Angus Taylor all but confirmed he was open to such deals with Pauline Hanson, declaring the party was prepared to cooperate with "whoever we can to get rid of this rotten Labor government".
The Liberals and Nationals are grappling with how to respond to the surging support for One Nation, which threatens to replace them as Australia's main conservative party.
The Liberals encouraged supporters to direct preferences to One Nation ahead of the independent challenger at the Farrer byelection, in part to avoid alienating their rightwing supporter base. It made a similar decision at this year's South Australian election and in several seats at the 2025 federal election, breaking from the John Howard-era position of rejecting Hanson's candidates.
The strategy has caused unease among moderate Liberals, who fear that associating themselves with Hanson will make it harder to reclaim city seats lost to teal independents and Labor.
In comments to the Australian Financial Review, Abbott said the conservative parties should replicate the approach of Labor and the Greens in directing preference to each other. "As a general rule, it makes sense for parties of the right to preference each other just as parties of the left have always done," Abbott said.
Guardian Australia has contacted Abbott for comment.
In his new role as federal Liberal president, Abbott would be expected to be involved in discussions on any preference deals with One Nation ahead of the next federal election due in 2028.
Asked about the former prime minister's comment, Taylor left the door open to working with the rightwing populist party. "We will work with whoever we can to get rid of this rotten Labor government," the opposition leader said. "I mean, people are angry around Australia. I see it all the time. They've had enough of this rotten Labor government that's taking this country in the wrong direction."
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said the Liberals, Nationals and One Nation were now "indistinguishable". "The problem for Angus Taylor is that if he tries to out-One Nation One Nation, then they become indistinguishable, and people more and more will go towards what they see as the real thing," he said.
The elections of Taylor as opposition leader and Abbott as party president represent a shift to the right for the Liberals, who are prioritising winning back voters from One Nation over attempting to appeal to voters in their old heartland seats.
In an email to Liberal supporters on Tuesday, Abbott sought to reassure "sceptical" members that the party had changed course under the new leadership. "We certainly won't win the next election as slaves to focus groups and being a little bit less 'woke' than Labor," he said in the email seen by Guardian Australia.
Abbott made a subtle reference to the party's willingness to work with One Nation, writing that there was "collective determination to work constructively with others who also want a change of government".
The former Warringah MP said he wanted to arrange meetings with grassroots Liberal members across the country, encouraging supporters to bring along friends and family members.
The latest Newspoll put One Nation ahead of Labor for the first time, the second national poll in as many weeks that showed Hanson's party was the most popular in the country.
Despite the results, the trade minister, Don Farrell, claimed One Nation was not a threat to Labor. "The populist parties in this country come and go, they rise and they fall," he said. "I don't think Labor has anything to fear from One Nation."