SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

One Nation to reveal Queensland state candidates

One Nation is set to unveil 36 candidates for the upcoming Queensland election, where it has its best chance of winning seats since 1998.

file image of One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson
file image of One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson Source: AAP

3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has accused Pauline Hanson of failing to stand up for Queensland as One Nation prepares to unveil its first batch of candidates for the upcoming state election.

Senator Hanson will on Sunday unveil the first of One Nation's 36 candidates for the state poll, expected to be called next year, where the party has its best chance of winning seats in two decades.

"This is going to be the biggest test for One Nation since 1998,'' Ms Hanson told the Courier-Mail.

Recent polls have shown support for the party in double digits state-wide, with its support strongest in regional and rural seats, including Lockyer in the state's southwest, which Senator Hanson herself nearly won in 2015.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

The party is seen as a threat to both sides and given neither Labor or the LNP currently holds a majority, it may only need to pick up a handful of seats to hold the balance of power.

But the premier, who has been a prominent critic of One Nation since the federal election, on Saturday said Ms Hanson and her fellow Senator Malcolm Roberts should be spending more time fighting for the state in the Senate.

She hit out at the party's silence over the federal government's decision to cut public dental funding to Queensland from $78 million to $19.4 million from next year.

"I haven't heard them talk about the 75 per cent cut to our dental services in Queensland, we haven't seen them stand up to the Turnbull government about the cuts to education," she told reporters.

"They have got to start delivering for Queensland and frankly I haven't seen any of that yet."

Labor claims privately that the LNP is more likely to lose seats to One Nation but admits there's a risk working class voters will embrace the party, especially in parts of the state suffering with high unemployment.

To prevent that happening, it plans to spend much of the next year talking up its job creation record, something Ms Palaszczuk was keen to do on Saturday at the launch of a new flight between Shanghai and Brisbane.

"My government is focused on jobs, we are 100 per cent focused on protecting jobs and growing jobs

"We are about jobs in this state and no one can match my record when it comes to jobs."


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world