Liberal Party Deny Plans to Preference One Nation Last in South Australia

‘There has been no discussion of such deal and there will not be,’ SA Liberal State Director Alex Hyde said.

A member of the public prepares to vote in Adelaide, Australia, on Sept. 7, 2013. Robert Prezioso/Getty Images

The Liberal Party’s South Australian (SA) branch has denied any plans to position One Nation last on its how-to-vote cards at the upcoming state election in March.

In a recent statement released on social media, SA Liberal Party State Director Alex Hyde said there had been no agreement or deal to preference One Nation last.

“There has been no discussion of such deal and there will not be,” he said.

“The SA Liberal Party approach to preferences is clear: to elect as many Liberals, and as many centre right parliamentarians as possible. Our preferences will unashamedly be based on values.”

His statement comes amid allegations the Liberals and Labor are “colluding to try and block One Nation’s progress” by the conservative-leaning party.

Hyde also noted that One Nation’s allegation “contains the fabrication” that the Liberal would place left-wing parties ahead of other centre-right parties and candidates.

“It is disappointing to see dishonest tactics that are usually peddled by the Labor Party and the Greens appear in One Nation’s playbook,” he said.

“All South Australians should be concerned about the domination of Labor and the Greens in the Legislative Council. We only need to look over the Victorian border to see the debt-fuelled and corrupt future that could await us if there is no balance in the parliament.”

During state and federal elections in Australia, political parties can hand out how-to-vote cards to guide voters.

Although these cards are only recommendations on how to rank candidates, they can influence voting decisions and carry significant weight under Australia’s preferential voting system.

When a party places another candidate last on its card, it is directing supporters to allocate preferences to all other candidates first, reducing the likelihood that preferences will flow to that candidate.

One Nation’s Allegation

Prior to Hyde’s remarks, One Nation issued a statement alleging that Labor and the Liberals are unfairly targeting it using how-to-vote cards.

“Peter Malinauskas has confirmed Labor and the Liberals will work together to confront One Nation’s challenge to a cosy two-party system that has not delivered for South Australia,” the statement read.

The party also said Labor and the Liberals had a vested interest in preserving the status quo.

“The reality is the Liberals aren’t a threat to Labor, and Labor aren’t a threat to the Liberals,” it said on social media. “This is why they love the electoral system. Over time it has acted as a protection racket for the uniparty.”

One Nation then called on voters to “see through” the alleged collusion and side with the party if they wanted changes to their community.

Surge in One Nation’s Popularity

Recent polling indicates One Nation support surging in South Australia, mirroring national trends.

A Newspoll published on Feb. 19 showed the Labor Party leading on 44 percent of the vote, followed by One Nation on 24 percent, the Liberal Party on 14 percent, and Greens on 12 percent.

Meanwhile, a separate YouGov poll released on the same day showed Labor with 37 percent of the vote, One Nation with 22 percent, Liberals with 20 percent, and Greens with 13 percent.

A DemosAU/Ace Strategies poll conducted for InDaily also revealed that One Nation came second in the South Australian Legislative Council vote with 21 percent, behind Labor on 38 percent. The Liberals ranked third with 15 percent, followed by the Greens on 11 percent.