Premier heats up battle with ‘pretender’ One Nation

Premier Accuses Pauline Hanson of Hypocrisy Amid Rising One Nation Support

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has launched a sharp critique against Senator Pauline Hanson, labeling her a “hypocrite and pretender” in response to the growing influence of One Nation ahead of the state election. The premier’s comments come just one day after an awkward encounter with the One Nation leader during a public event.

Malinauskas took aim at Hanson following her unexpected appearance at a leaders’ debate in Adelaide on Wednesday. During the meeting, she confronted him over his recent remarks about One Nation, which ended in a handshake despite the tension. However, the premier was far less accommodating when addressing the party’s rising support on Thursday.

“These hypocrites flying around on private planes… that’s one thing, but having no plan or policy for the future of the state… that’s unforgivable,” Malinauskas said. He highlighted the irony of Hanson advocating for working-class Australians while allegedly using the plane of Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart.

“If you don’t have a policy or a plan, you’re a pretender. And I haven’t seen any policy or plans from One Nation, none whatsoever,” he added.

The criticism comes as One Nation continues to gain momentum in the lead-up to the South Australian election. A recent poll by DemosAU/Ace Strategies revealed a six-percentage-point drop in Labor support across the state, although the party still appears to be on track for victory. In regional and rural areas, One Nation is polling at 39 per cent, significantly outpacing the Liberals’ 15 per cent.

However, the party faces challenges in terms of public perception. The same poll found that 36 per cent of voters felt negatively towards One Nation’s state leader and upper house candidate, Cory Bernardi, while only 20 per cent were positive.

Hanson’s confrontation with Malinauskas occurred during a tense exchange on Wednesday. She accused him of “putting people down” and expressed her disapproval of his remarks. These comments came in response to his earlier statement at an election forum, where he suggested that immigration is necessary to provide workers for sectors like aged care.

When asked what he would say to One Nation voters, Malinauskas defended his stance, stating that his comments were reasonable when put in context.

One Nation did not back down on Thursday, with Bernardi accusing Labor and the Liberals of spreading misinformation about the party lacking policies. He emphasized that One Nation’s policies are available on their website, claiming that voters who review them find them appealing.

“One Nation’s policies are readily available on our website for anyone to see. Voters who’ve taken the time to look can see we’ve got policies backing them, and they’re liking what they’re seeing,” Bernardi said.

Political analysts are watching the situation closely. University of Adelaide Emeritus Professor of politics Clem Macintyre noted that One Nation’s rise could push the Liberals into third place in the SA polls, a significant shift if it occurs.

“I think we can still say One Nation is a party of disaffected voters,” he said. If the party performs strongly without winning seats, it could signal a broader shift in Australian politics, potentially challenging the dominance of the two-party system.

“We’ll have to wait until One Nation proves themselves as a plausible alternative government,” Macintyre concluded.