‘This is a declaration that things are not good’: One Nation surge to fell Libs
One Nation leaders have addressed their supporters as counting shows an unprecedented surge in support for the party across SA. Pauline Hanson tells Peter Malinauskas she is leaving him “some landmines, they are called One Nation members of parliament”.
One Nation saw a surge in support across South Australia in State Election vote counting and is likely to end up with at least two upper house members as its candidates give the Liberal party a serious push in regional South Australia.
SA Leader Cory Bernardi was on stage at the party’s Kent Town Hotel election celebration last night telling supporters “this is a declaration that things are not good enough in South Australia and not good enough in Australia”.
“They [voters] want a viable alternative, One Nation is that alternative, and we will stand up and we will speak up for every South Australian without fear or favour,” he said.
“Australians, my promise to all of you, and this team’s promise to you, is that we will never shirk an issue. We will never stop speaking up for every South Australian. We will never stop going to visit the communities that have been forgotten.”
Pauline Hanson later added her own message, warning “Victoria, we are coming for you” in its next election.
“To all the people who have voted One Nation please believe me when I say you have a strong leader here in Cory Bernardi in South Australia,” Hanson said.
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“Peter Malinauskas congratulations on your win,” she said, adding that while she was still in South Australia last night she would be leaving soon for Canberra.
“But guess what mate, I’m leaving you some landmines, they are called One Nation members of parliament .. I’m suggesting don’t step on them because they will explode.”
Hanson told the crowd that she was unsure if One Nation would win one, two or three lower house seats.
For the Liberal Party, the seat of Chaffey that mainly covers the Riverland was under threat earlier in the night where Liberal sitting member Tim Whetstone said he saw voters arriving at local voting booths feeling “upset”.
“I’m seeing a sentiment that has been reflective [of the vote], that people are a little disgruntled with the major parties,” he told the ABC, Whetstone now looking likely to hold onto his seat as vote counting progressed.
“I guess it really does just typify what we’re seeing in South Australia … people are coming up to the polling booths looking for an orange t-shirt as a protest vote.
He added that “the waters have been muddied” as the Liberal Party had seen leadership change and “shenanigans going on in Canberra… we’re seeing global uncertainty… we’re seeing the wine industry on its knees” and voters in the region were “really, really upset at the moment.”
Hanson and Bernardi were joined at the Kent Town Hotel by another upper house candidate likely to win a spot in the state parliament Carlos Quaremba.
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Despite there having been an ongoing projected commanding Labor lead in the election, One Nation’s dramatic rise in polling popularity became one of the campaign’s major talking points and raised questions over the new opposition in SA.
Exclusive polling from DemosAU/Ace Strategies released on Thursday had One Nation outpacing the Liberal Party 23 per cent to 17 per cent, with the Liberals at risk of being replaced as official opposition.
The polling showed regional and rural voters were more likely to cast their vote to One Nation at 39 per cent compared to 23 per cent for Labor and 15 per cent for Liberal.
Among the party’s key priorities is its push to have Australia cap immigration at 130,000 for all visa categories including foreign students. Locally, One Nation announced it would introduce a bill to repeal the state-based Indigenous Voice to Parliament which was also being voted on yesterday.
The party also opposes the renaming of places in SA with Indigenous names, wants a new black coal power plant at Port Augusta, and to have a federal legislated ban on nuclear energy repealed.
In a social media post on Saturday morning, Hanson wished luck to One Nation’s SA candidates, saying “whatever the result, you’ve put the major parties into a panic – and that’s a job well done”.
Hanson announced in February it would contest all 47 House of Assembly seats in the SA election, with former Liberal SA Senator Bernardi to lead the party’s Legislative Council bid.
But on Friday, the party dumped seat of Adelaide candidate Aoi Baxter amid reports the candidate had an arrest warrant in the UK after failing to attend court while charged with a sexual offence.
The party’s campaign has been controversial, Bernardi backing comments he made almost 14 years ago linking gay marriage to the social acceptance of bestiality, and making a social media post criticising an Aboriginal greeting at Adelaide University sparking backlash from Aboriginal Elders.
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