Barnaby Joyce has made an ambitious promise ahead of One Nation\u2019s first big test with voters, while claiming the Coalition may be forced to turn to One Nation at the next federal election.<\/p>\n
Speaking to ABC\u2019s Insiders on Sunday, Mr Joyce was asked about the upcoming South Australian election which takes place next Saturday.<\/p>\n
It is the first major electoral race since One Nation\u2019s boost in the polls last year, with ex-Liberal Cory Bernardi running on the party\u2019s ticket for a seat in the lower house. <\/p>\n
But Mr Joyce claimed the major parties were targeting One Nation and trying to undercut the populist party through preference deals. <\/p>\n
During the exchange, host David Speers interjected: \u201cThat\u2019s politics.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Mr Joyce did not respond to the comment, instead arguing it proved their competitors had a \u201creal fear\u201d of the party. <\/p>\n
\u201cI will absolutely assure you that One Nation will poll number one in many seats, but then the preference flows of the other parties will try to make sure One Nation doesn\u2019t get up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just watch, there\u2019ll be so many seats where One Nation comes first, but the other parties are so terrified \u2026 they\u2019ll have to go back to climate change preferencing.\u201d<\/p>\n
One Nation has experienced a boost in popularity since late last year after disaffected voters looked for an alternative to the embattled Liberals and Nationals.<\/p>\n
It has made the once-fringe party a credible threat to the Coalition in the fight for Australia\u2019s conservative vote. <\/p>\n
Another looming contest is the upcoming by-election in Farrer, where One Nation is seeking its second lower house seat in federal parliament.<\/p>\n
The seat became vacant in February after ousted Liberal leader Sussan Ley, who had held the seat for the Liberals for more than two decades, quit politics.<\/p>\n
It has triggered a four-way contest between One Nation, the Nationals, the Liberals and independent Michelle Milthorpe for the lower house seat.<\/p>\n
But when asked about the Farrer race, Mr Joyce claimed, if the Liberals and Nationals candidates ranked Ms Milthorpe above One Nation on their how-to vote cards, it would signal the end of the two conservative parties. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf the (Liberals) and the (Nationals) preference socialists and (Ms Millthorpe) above us, then that will be that will ring loud and true for the federal election that these guys would prefer a climate Change 200 candidate to another conservative party,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat is where the actual heart lies. That is why it\u2019s all over for them. It\u2019s finished for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier, Mr Joyce was asked about his former protege and new Nationals leader Matt Canavan\u2019s scathing critique of Pauline Hanson. <\/p>\n
This week, Mr Canavan had derided the One Nation leader for her offensive comments about Muslim Australians and questioned her contributions \u2013 including any roads, dams or hospitals built \u2013 in their shared home state. <\/p>\n
Mr Joyce shrugged off the claims about Senator Hanson\u2019s delivery for Queenslanders, pointing to her election to the upper house.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to remember the Senate is the house of review \u2026 it\u2019s there to review legislation,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe first lower house seat One Nation\u2019s had is me, and it\u2019s a different game \u2026 the world\u2019s changed.\u201d <\/p>\n
He then proceeded to unpack the hypothetical circumstances needed for a deal between the federal Coalition and One Nation during the next federal election. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe get to the next election, (if) the polling stays where it is, there\u2019s going to be maybe 20 or so One Nation seats,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cNo one is going to govern without coming to One Nation and seeing if they can get those numbers for supply and confidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd do you think for one second there won\u2019t be a deal in that? Of course, it\u2019ll be a deal. It\u2019s not coalition, but you are going to want policy outcomes.\u201d <\/p>\n
He later refused to condemn Senator Hanson\u2019s commentary around Australian Muslims – in which she questioned whether there were any \u201cgood Muslims\u201d – before conceding: \u201cNuancing what she said might have been better.\u201d <\/p>\n
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