{"id":631953,"date":"2026-04-26T11:53:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T11:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/631953\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T11:53:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T11:53:13","slug":"victorian-liberals-to-preference-one-nation-at-state-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/631953\/","title":{"rendered":"Victorian Liberals to preference One Nation at state election"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Chip<\/p>\n

April 26, 2026 \u2014 8:00pm<\/p>\n

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The Victorian Liberals are planning to preference One Nation ahead of Labor as a default position at the November state election, in a move former premier Steve Bracks warns will legitimise support for Pauline Hanson\u2019s party and hasten the collapse of the traditional centre-right party.<\/p>\n

Although a final decision on preferences will be made on a seat-by-seat basis by the Liberal Party\u2019s five-person state strategy committee once nominations close, two sources with knowledge of the committee\u2019s thinking said that, in the absence of a particularly odious candidate or other exceptional circumstances, One Nation would be favoured ahead of Labor.<\/p>\n

The preference strategy, while designed to galvanise the anti-Labor vote across the state, risks a backlash among Liberal voters in what remains of the party\u2019s urban and middle-suburb heartland, and energising the teal movement.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Liberal Party faces a backlash from voters in the seat of Malvern being targeted by Amelia Hamer (left) and Jess Wilson\u2019s seat of Kew if it preferences One Nation.Photograph by Chris Hopkins<\/p>\n

While it may contribute to Labor losing seats to One Nation in electorates such as Melton and Cranbourne, it makes more precarious its hold on John Pesutto\u2019s seat of Hawthorn, Jess Wilson\u2019s seat of Kew and Amelia Hamer\u2019s chances in Malvern.<\/p>\n

The November 28 state election is the first in Victoria where One Nation is expected to have a significant impact on the result. Bracks, who came to power shortly after Hanson emerged as a national political force, condemned any preference deal with her party.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll that will do is legitimise One Nation and that is outrageous,\u201d he told the Sorrento Writers\u2019 Festival last week.<\/p>\n

He argues that the Liberal Party in Australia faces the same fate as the Republic Party in France and other centre-right parties disappearing around the world if it continues to drift to the right. \u201cIt will be the beginning of the end of the centre-right party in this country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cIt\u201cIt is outrageous\u201d: Former premier Steve Bracks condemned any preference deal between the Liberal Party and One Nation.Elke Meitzel<\/p>\n

In further comments to this masthead, Bracks said the Liberal Party\u2019s instinct to appease One Nation and its followers was fuelling an existential threat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re saying to people it is OK to vote for One Nation, we are supporting them too. That is a problem and that will tell on the Liberal Party.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Pauline<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cDeep down, the Liberal Party is not racist. But why are they preferencing One Nation if they are not racist? This is the conundrum they have got to work out for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Liberal Party spokesman said no decision on preferences had been made.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe state campaign strategy committee has not once discussed One Nation preferences for the state election,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo decision, in-principle or otherwise, has been made about preferencing any party.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Liberal Party\u2019s how-to-vote cards being handed out in Nepean at pre-polling centres for Saturday\u2019s byelection foreshadow the party\u2019s likely approach in November.<\/p>\n

Although One Nation\u2019s Darren Hercus is considered Liberal candidate Anthony Marsh\u2019s primary rival in the absence of a Labor candidate, the Liberals are preferencing One Nation third on the ballot ahead of local independent Tracee Hutchison. One Nation is also directing preferences to the Liberal Party ahead of Hutchison.<\/p>\n

\"LiberalLiberal candidate in the Nepean byelection Anthony Marsh.Simon Schluter<\/p>\n

Neither Liberal nor One Nation preferences will flow in Nepean if the parties finish as expected in first and second position on primary votes. One Liberal MP, who is unauthorised to discuss internal party matters, described the preference decisions as a \u201cshow of good faith\u201d between the parties in the lead-up to the November poll.<\/p>\n

The Liberal Party\u2019s attempt to retain Nepean following the resignation of local MP Sam Groth is being complicated by disquiet in local party circles about Marsh\u2019s selection as their candidate. Estranged Liberal members last week paid for a full-page advertisement in the local paper, the Southern Peninsula News, urging voters to spurn Marsh.<\/p>\n

\"PaulinePauline Hanson is greeted by One Nation supporters in Rosebud.
\nSimon Schluter<\/p>\n

Richard Doery, an 83-year-old local Liberal branch member, said he voted for Hutchison due to concerns about Marsh\u2019s candidacy, which was endorsed by local and central party office holders rather than a ballot of members.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fundamental concern is that the Liberal Party decided not to allow the local members to vote for and select a candidate,\u201d Doery said. He added that he was \u201cvery uncomfortable with preferencing One Nation\u201d.<\/p>\n

Marsh, a Mornington Peninsula Shire Mayor currently on leave from council, who lives in Mount Martha just outside the Nepean electorate, says the dominant factor in the byelection is frustration at a long-term Labor government. Hutchison agrees but says concerns about Marsh are also biting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve actually had a lot of support from long-term Liberal party members and voters who have been dismayed by the pre-selection process and being shut out of that and genuinely wanting someone who will represent the Nepean electorate, who lives in the electorate, who will be voting in the byelection,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of that motivation is coming from long-term Liberals, but it\u2019s also coming from a whole range of people who are looking for somewhere to park their vote.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nepean is One Nation\u2019s first significant electoral test in Victoria since opinion polls started detecting a surge in popular support for the party at the end of last year.<\/p>\n

It follows the South Australian state election where One Nation cannibalised the Liberal Party\u2019s primary vote and reduce its representation from 16 seats to just five, and comes ahead of the federal byelection in Farrer, where the Liberal and National parties are preferencing One Nation ahead of independent Michelle Milthorpe.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Pauline<\/a><\/p>\n

While Bracks argues that One Nation does not present an immediate threat to Labor in Victoria, former ALP state deputy director turned pollster Kos Samaras believes that One Nation will take seats from both major parties in November.<\/p>\n

Samaras said that Opposition Leader Jess Wilson, who is a member of her party\u2019s state strategy committee that will decide preferences, was facing the same conundrum as Liberal leaders around the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Liberal Party in Victoria cannot win the election unless they are winning seats in middle and inner-urban Melbourne. That is also the place where you will find the most anti-One Nation sentiment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does Jess do? If she doesn\u2019t preference One Nation she animates her right flank. If she preferences One Nation she collapses the small-c conservative vote in urban Melbourne. She has got herself caught in this vice.\u201d
Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"ChipChip Le Grand<\/a> leads our state politics reporting team. He previously served as the paper\u2019s chief reporter and is a journalist of 30 years\u2019 experience.Connect via email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"April 26, 2026 \u2014 8:00pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":631954,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-631953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=631953"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631953\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/631954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=631953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=631953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=631953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}