In brief
- One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce says the party's win in Farrer should be a wake-up call for the major parties.
- He said far-right party wanted to "go for government" and was eyeing western Sydney as its next target.
One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce says the far-right party wants to "go for government" with western Sydney in its sights after its historic by-election win.
Joyce, who switched from the Nationals to One Nation last year, made several media appearances on Monday morning, warning the major parties it would be a mistake to dismiss the Farrer result as a one-off.
One Nation won its first-ever federal lower house seat in the southern NSW seat of Farrer at the weekend with candidate David Farley, ending a 77-year reign for the Liberals and Nationals.
It backs up a strong result in the recent South Australia election, where One Nation picked up four seats and polled ahead of the Coalition.
Joyce, a former deputy prime minister, said western Sydney, traditionally a Labor stronghold, was One Nation's next target.
"We are very much in the mind for the western suburbs of Sydney. I was talking to people from the western suburbs of Sydney last night ... I was even talking to potential candidates. People are very enthusiastic," he told Channel Seven.
On ABC's RN Breakfast, Joyce said One Nation would go as "as far as the Australian people want it to go" while also issuing a warning for Coalition MPs thinking of defecting.
"Just because you jump doesn’t mean we catch you. What does that mean? Well, it’s not an open door that anybody who wishes, just walks into One Nation," he said.
The Guardian Australia reported Nationals MP Colin Boyce was considering a switch to One Nation following the Farrer loss, which saw the combined Liberals and Nationals primary vote tank to 22 per cent.
Joyce said One Nation — which holds two lower house seats — wanted to "go for government", while rejecting the idea of a coalition with the Nationals and Liberals.
"We'll offer supply and confidence on policy outcomes ... and that is not a coalition," he told Channel 9.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the results were a blow for the Coalition but also sent a message to all political parties.
"The Liberal Party and National Party made a big mistake legitimising One Nation," he told ABC Radio.
"In adopting many of their policies, but a lighter version of them, and then following that up by giving them preferences, they were saying, effectively, that it was okay to vote for One Nation rather than the traditional conservative party."
Deputy Liberal leader Jane Hume told ABC News Breakfast the Liberals needed to rebuild trust with voters following the defeat, citing the temporary break-up of the Coalition as a factor in the loss.
"The community was disillusioned, we've heard that message loud and clear," she said.
Liberal frontbencher Ted O'Brien said the party needed to present policies that resonated with voters if it wanted to stay relevant.
"The problem is not [One Nation leader Pauline Hanson], the problem is the direction of our country. People becoming poorer as a nation, we're becoming more divided," he told ABC radio.
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