Morrison promises no deals with One Nation

The Liberal Party won't be doing any preference deals with One Nation at the May federal election, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the coalition won't do any preference deals with One Nation. (AAP)

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has ruled out doing preference deals with Pauline Hanson's One Nation at the next federal election.

Senator Hanson has denied whipping up hatred against Muslims following the Christchurch terror attack in which 50 people were killed at mosques.

"There'll be no preference deals with One Nation," the prime minister told reporters in Adelaide on Tuesday.

In a fiery TV interview on Monday, Senator Hanson emphatically rejected suggestions she had empowered white supremacists.

"That is a load of rubbish," she told Seven's Sunrise.

Labor's Senate leader Penny Wong called on Mr Morrison to go further and put "right-wing extremist" One Nation and independent Fraser Anning last.

"We know, as recently as the Longman by-election, Pauline Hanson's One Nation was preferenced by the coalition ahead of the Labor Party. Now that does need to stop," she told ABC radio.

The opposition, crossbench senator Derryn Hinch and the Greens have all condemned Senator Hanson's views on Muslim immigration after the New Zealand attacks.

In 2016, Senator Hanson used her first speech since being re-elected to parliament to say Australia was in danger of being swamped by Muslims.

The comments echoed her warning 20 years earlier when she said country would be swamped by Asian immigration.

Senator Hanson said in a statement Mr Morrison deserved to lose the election with his "knee jerk" reaction to preferences.

"If the prime minister feels it is better for the Liberals to flow their preferences to the economy-destroying Greens and Labor before One Nation, Australian voters will react," she said in a statement.

"One Nation has worked constructively with the coalition government for almost three years, while Labor and the Greens have opposed almost all legislation put before the parliament."

She said her party would be discussing federal preference plans after the NSW state election on Saturday.


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Source: AAP



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