Pauline Hanson says she is “on eggshells” ahead of Saturday’s Farrer byelection and warned she’d have no tolerance for new MPs who fail to work hard, as One Nation closes in on a historic breakthrough victory in one of the Coalition’s traditional rural strongholds.
Speaking to Today show host Karl Stefanovic during a live broadcast of his podcast at Albury’s Beer DeLuxe on Friday, the Queensland senator insisted she was not taking the contest for granted despite growing optimism surrounding One Nation candidate David Farley.
Farley, a 69-year-old agribusiness consultant from Narrandera, is the frontrunner to win what would be One Nation’s first win in the House of Representatives in a tight contest against community-backed independent Michelle Milthorpe.
“I’ve been through so many elections where I thought ‘right, we’re looking really good here’,” Hanson said.
“Until that last vote is cast tomorrow night and the counting starts, I’m on eggshells … because it’s up to the people out there, the voters, what they want.”
The byelection was triggered by the resignation of former Liberal leader Sussan Ley after she was ousted from the party leadership in February, forcing the Coalition to defend a seat it has long regarded as safely conservative.
Hanson was also forced to publicly smooth over differences with Farley after several missteps in the past fortnight, including when he appeared to diverge from One Nation’s national immigration policy during a candidate forum last week.
Farley said One Nation wanted to “match immigration to a housing policy, a health policy and an education policy”, while acknowledging the region’s reliance on skilled migrant labour.
When he was asked whether net overseas migration of 306,000 people was “too many”, Farley replied: “No, it’s probably not.”
“If we’re successful in One Nation’s water policies, we’re going to need more labour and we’re going to need more labour quickly, skilled labour,” Farley said.
Asked about the comments, Hanson stressed the party’s formal immigration target remained far lower.
“That’s not our policy to say 306,000 is OK,” Hanson said. “Our policy is 130,000.”
But Hanson said Farley had been speaking specifically about labour shortages in the region, particular in the agricultural centres of Griffith and Leeton in the north-western part of the massive southern NSW electorate.
“A lot of the area here … relies on foreign workers, and they need that to keep the work going, to keep the industries going here,” she said.
“So I can understand. He’s talking for his electorate. But overall, our policy is cut off at 130,000. Deport all those who are in the country illegally.”
Hanson said foreign workers and international students should leave Australia once their visas expired before reapplying through official channels.
“Dave’s very much on board with this, but it’s with all members of parliament. They have to represent their electorates and they have to have their say,” she said.
“I’m not gonna shut him down. He had his say, but he clarified what he meant.”
The One Nation leader also defended her tight control over party discipline amid longstanding criticism about instability within the minor party’s ranks, saying she had previously removed MPs who failed to perform.
“It has been a battle with these different ones, and I will admit there’s been a couple in there I got rid of,” Hanson said, referencing past acrimonious splits with former senators Brian Burston and Fraser Anning.
“One was the senator from NSW. One was a member from Queensland. They did nothing. They sat there and did absolutely nothing.
“If you don’t work for the people that elect you, you’re not in my party. I don’t reward bad behaviour.”
Key issues which have shaped the campaign include cost-of-living pressures, water management, access to healthcare and regional services, infrastructure investment and support for agriculture and local industries.
Milthorpe, who slashed Ley’s margin in the federal election last year, has continually been forced to bat away claims she is a teal independent, because of donations from Simon Holmes a Court’s Climate 200.
In the final candidates forum on Friday night she said she would be prepared to vote against net zero if it hurt regional communities and told audience members she opposed a proposed local wind farm at Table Top.
Hanson framed Saturday’s contest as part of a broader political fight against the major parties, declaring: “Can I do it? Yes I can. I want our country back.”
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Rob Harris is the national correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age based in Canberra. He is a former Europe correspondent.Connect via email.