Tony Abbott Calls for Liberal Party to Offer 'Better Product' as One Nation Surges
Newly elected Liberal Party president Tony Abbott has publicly backed preference deals with One Nation, saying conservative parties should direct preferences to each other just as Labor and the Greens do. The move reflects a broader rightward shift in the Liberal Party under opposition leader Angus Taylor, who also left the door open to cooperating with Pauline Hanson's party. The strategy risks alienating moderate Liberals trying to reclaim inner-city seats while potentially consolidating the conservative vote as One Nation surges in polls.
Tony Abbott, recently elected as federal Liberal Party president, told the Australian Financial Review that '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,' signalling openness to a formal preference arrangement with One Nation ahead of the 2028 federal election. Opposition leader Angus Taylor echoed the sentiment, saying the party would 'work with whoever we can to get rid of this rotten Labor government.' Speaking at a Washington DC book launch, Abbott also acknowledged the Liberal Party had suffered a 'dreadful year' and needed to offer Australians 'a better product,' citing a lack of conviction and political competence at the 2025 election as key factors in One Nation's rise. The shift marks a significant departure from the John Howard-era policy of refusing to preference Hanson's candidates, a policy Abbott himself once championed — he famously funded legal challenges against One Nation in the late 1990s that contributed to Hanson's brief imprisonment. Hanson, who wept at a Perth event recalling Abbott's past 'witch hunt' against her, responded coolly to any prospect of cooperation, saying 'I'm like a bloody old elephant, I don't forget.' The preference strategy has caused unease among moderate Liberals who fear it will make it harder to win back inner-city seats lost to teal independents and Labor, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warned the Liberals risk becoming 'indistinguishable' from One Nation. Recent polls, including Newspoll, have placed One Nation ahead of Labor for the first time.
What's missing
The articles do not detail what specific policy concessions, if any, One Nation would seek in exchange for a formal preference arrangement, nor whether any negotiations between the two parties have actually commenced beyond public signalling.
How coverage differed
The Guardian framed the story primarily around the political risks and ideological tensions within the Liberal Party, emphasising moderate unease and Albanese's critique. The ABC took a more analytical and historically contextualised approach, detailing Abbott's long adversarial history with Hanson to highlight the irony of his current position, while the Sydney Morning Herald focused on Abbott's international remarks and his broader diagnosis of the Liberal Party's failings.
What different sources said
- Sydney Morning HeraldCenter
Liberal Party needs to give Australians a ‘better product’: Abbott
- The GuardianLeft
Tony Abbott backs One Nation preference deal and says Liberals can’t just be a ‘little less woke than Labor’
- ABC AustraliaCenter
Abbott takes a 'hold your nose and accept the preferences' approach to One Nation
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