Anthony Albanese has taken fresh aim at One Nation, saying they “pretend that they stand for battlers” and cannot represent working Australians.
The Prime Minister lashed the surging party in an interview aired on Sky Sunday Agenda, saying One Nation and other right-wing parties would continue to “oppose all of the measures that have made a difference to people”.
“The fact is that One Nation pretend that they stand for battlers, whilst getting planes given to them by Australia’s richest person, while receiving donations from some of the very wealthiest people,” Mr Albanese said.
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“They oppose increases in the minimum wage, they oppose our support for childcare, they opposed our support – and expansion, and strengthening – of Medicare. They’ve opposed free TAFE.”
One Nation’s calls for huge cuts to migration numbers did not stack up, he said, when set against opposition to TAFE funding.
“You can’t say we want to stop migration but not want to upskill Australians, to give Australians the skills to fill the jobs,” Mr Albanese said.
One Nation has seen a surge in support in recent months, with skyrocketing polling numbers bolstered by significant wins in the South Australian election and Farrer by-election earlier this year.
Leader Pauline Hanson overtook Mr Albanese as preferred prime minister in national polling released last week, and on Wednesday gave the first National Press Club address of her 30-year political career.
Her speech on Wednesday included calls for Australia to be a “monoculture”, as Senator Hanson took aim at “lazy” workers and “radical Islam”.
She also pledged to gut the National Indigenous Australians Agency, end the SBS, and make the ABC a subscription service for people in the capital cities.
“We are a multi-racial society, but we must be monocultural. Australians must live under the one cultural umbrella,” she said.
The lengthy speech – which has in the days since drawn both support and criticism – covered most areas of Australia’s governance and culture.
Senator Hanson also targeted industrial relations, which she said was not working and needed “a complete overhaul”.
“Businesses also tell me you can’t sack people these days,” she said.
“(Workers are) on their phones, they don’t work, they don’t turn up, they actually are lazy, and businesses are tied to it. They’ve had enough.”
Abbott’s big move on One Nation threat
Angus Taylor has blamed a lack of democracy within the Liberal Party for members defecting to One Nation, prompting Tony Abbott to hit the phones trying to get branch members to stay in key NSW electorates.
Former prime minister and current federal Liberal Party president Mr Abbott has been calling disillusioned members in Sydney’s Curl Curl and multiple branches in the Gilmore electorate on the state’s south coast, as reported by The Sunday Telegraph.
Liberal Party leaders are trying to stop the bleed to One Nation. Credit: News Corp Australia
Liberal Party members of two branches in Gilmore quit to go to One Nation last week, and half of the Curl Curl branch also defected to One Nation.
Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, the Opposition Leader pointed the finger at Liberal Party operations rather than One Nation’s pull.
“I understand that frustration, I feel it myself. They want a better Liberal Party,” Mr Taylor said.
“And particularly in New South Wales, we have seen a number of members of the party frustrated at the lack of democracy in the party. I’ve been fighting to change that for many, many years.
“The answer isn’t to blow the place up, it’s roll our sleeves up.
“Have that credible plan, the credible team in place – I don’t think anyone else can offer that.”
