NSW Senator Criticises Liberal Party’s Preference Deal With One Nation, Calls to Reclaim Centre

After nearly 3 decades of tension, the Coalition and One Nation effectively cemented their alliance during the 2025 election campaign.

Australia's Opposition Leader Peter Dutton stands with his family as he concedes defeat in the general election at the Liberal Party election night event in Brisbane, Australia, on May 3, 2025. Patrick Hamilton/AFP via Getty Images

Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg criticised the Coalition’s decision to preference One Nation ahead of Labor in key seats, claiming it alienated centrist voters and damaged the party’s credibility.

“I don’t think preferencing One Nation is a good idea for the Liberal Party. [Former Prime Minister] John Howard was right about that,” Bragg told ABC Radio.

“It’s a very bad optical position for our party… We need to recapture the centre. Elections in Australia are won in the centre.”

After nearly three decades, the Coalition and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation effectively cemented their alliance during the 2025 election campaign.

As pre-poll voting began, Coalition how-to-vote cards placed One Nation candidates second in most lower house seats.

In a last-minute shift, Hanson reprinted preference cards in key electorates, placing Coalition candidates—like Opposition Leader Peter Dutton in Dickson—at number two, despite initially ranking him fourth.

This marked a departure from the Coalition’s long running strategy to avoid any association with One Nation fearing public sensitivity, preferencing Labor ahead of the right-leaning party in many instances up until the 2022 election.

However, this often left the Coalition on it’s own to fend off Labor, the Greens, and Teals, who all share preferences quite tightly.

Senator Andrew Bragg speaks to journalists in the Press Gallery at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Aug. 21, 2024. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

Policy Vacuum on the Economy and Issues With Head Office

Bragg also pointed to a broader policy void as the reason for the Coalition’s devastating loss in the election.

“You can’t blame a campaign when you don’t have enough policies to offer the community,” he said. “We didn’t do enough on the economy or to capture the centre of Australian public support.”

Bragg echoed NSW Senator Hollie Hughes’ criticism that the Coalition had no serious economic agenda in a campaign dominated by cost-of-living concerns.

“People have traditionally voted Liberal for a better life and stronger economy. But we had nothing compelling to offer,” he said.

Even well-prepared proposals were ignored.

“In my portfolio, we submitted seven fully costed mental health policies last October. They vanished into a vortex and were never heard of again,” he said.

Call for Economic Focus, Not Culture Wars

Bragg argued the party’s future lies in strong economic reform, not culture wars.

“I think the salvation here is regrouping on policy—especially economic policy,” he said. “We could have done more to help households with decarbonisation, mortgages, small business investment and deregulation.”

He also criticised the party’s misreading of contemporary Australian life, including its tone on social issues.

“Work-from-home trends were misunderstood. Picking niche issues, especially those focused on minority groups, backfires. Australians prefer a ‘live and let live’ ethos. They don’t want to see division,” he said.

Bragg’s comments echo an ongoing divide internally in the Liberal Party between whether to be more “moderate” to appeal to centrist voters, or move to a more morally conservative position to capture the right of the party, which is spilling to minor parties like One Nation and billionaire Clive Palmer.

Centre-right parties in Western democracies have struggled with this with the exception of the Republican Party in the United States, which has now largely move away from moderate positions to adopt the Make America Great Again philosophy.

No Personal Attack on Dutton

Despite his policy critique, Bragg was careful not to target Dutton.

“Peter is a decent, honourable and principled man,” he said.

“But we must now focus on real economic issues and steer clear of divisive rhetoric. That’s the lesson from this election.”

Hughes in her interview also maintained a tone of respect for Dutton.

“There was a lot of criticism, you know, he’s a strong man. He’s this big, tough politician,” she said.

She added that when you get to know him personally, you come to learn that he is a lovely person.

“he had held incredibly senior portfolios in things like Home Affairs and defence. And, you know, his role had been to keep Australia safe, and he had done an extraordinary job there,” she added.

Leadership in Limbo

As the party prepares for a new leadership vote, Bragg avoided naming a preferred candidate but indicated discussions were ongoing.

Asked whether the Liberals can still represent both small liberals and conservatives, Bragg said, “That’s the challenge. But if we want to win, we must understand the country we are trying to govern.”

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor, Deputy Liberal Leader Sussan Ley, Shadow Defence Minister Andrew Hastie, and Shadow Immigration Minister Dan Tehan are emerging as potential contenders in the Liberal leadership contest.

Ley, who has taken on the role of interim leader after Dutton’s defeat, said the party room would soon meet to formally declare both leadership positions vacant and elect a new leadership team.

Taylor is under pressure for failing to present a compelling economic agenda as shadow treasurer, while Tehan is viewed by some as lacking the seniority required to lead.

Hastie is widely regarded as a rising star in the party. However, his relatively young age—42—and limited ministerial experience beyond the defence portfolio could be a limiting factor.