Far-right One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has formally offered to form a coalition government with the Liberal and National parties, putting Opposition Leader Sussan Ley in the uncomfortable position of publicly addressing her relationship with the far-right.
The proposal, reported by News Corp, comes as Ley navigates ongoing tensions with the Nationals over reuniting their traditional Coalition partnership.
Hanson's timing is deliberate. With the Liberal-National Coalition fracturing over leadership disputes and policy differences, One Nation is positioning itself as an alternative conservative partner - one that could deliver crucial Senate votes or even lower house seats in a hung parliament.
Mate, Ley is trying to negotiate with the Nationals, and now she's got Hanson publicly offering to jump into bed with the Liberals. It's like dealing with a messy breakup while someone else loudly proposes at the same restaurant.
The Liberals have historically maintained a cautious distance from One Nation, preferring to compete for the same voters rather than formally align. But that distance has narrowed over the years, with Liberal MPs increasingly willing to preference One Nation and adopt similar positions on immigration and cultural issues.
Ley now faces a no-win situation. Reject Hanson too forcefully, and she risks alienating voters who support both parties. Accept or even entertain the offer, and she legitimizes One Nation's brand of far-right populism within mainstream conservative politics.
The proposal also exposes the ideological drift within Australia's conservative movement. What was once fringe territory - Hanson's positions on immigration, multiculturalism, and Indigenous affairs - has become increasingly normalized in conservative political discourse.
Political analysts note that One Nation's Senate presence already gives Hanson significant influence over legislation. A formal coalition would simply acknowledge what already exists in practice: the Liberals often need One Nation votes to pass their agenda.
The Nationals, meanwhile, are watching this unfold while preparing their own counteroffer to Ley for Coalition reunion. The conservative side of Australian politics is experiencing its most significant realignment in decades.
One thing's certain: whether or not this particular proposal goes anywhere, the lines between mainstream conservatism and far-right populism in Australia keep getting blurrier.
