New One Nation South Australia Leader Pledges to Be ‘Strongest Voice of Opposition’

‘Whether we have one seat, we have five seats, or 22 seats, we will be the strongest voice of opposition this government has ever faced,’ said Cory Bernardi.

Then-Liberal Party Senator Cory Bernardi speaks during the debate of the marriage equality bill in the Senate at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on Nov. 29, 2017. Michael Masters/Getty Images

Former Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi says he will focus on cutting bureaucracy and “backroom operators” if he can win seats as leader of One Nation’s campaign in the South Australian state election.

Bernardi was unveiled as One Nation’s latest candidate on Feb. 2, and a day later spoke in Adelaide with party leader Pauline Hanson about what he hopes One Nation can bring to the table.

Bernardi said he hopes to “drag parties back to where they should be.”

“They don’t want that,” he said. “Without a viable third force in this country, we will be left to the mercies of the two parties who are undeserving of your confidence and your faith.”

He will run on the state’s Legislative Council ticket at the next election.

Bernardi is a former stockbroker and financial adviser who rose to prominence after entering public service in 2006.

He later left the Liberals to establish the short-lived Australian Conservatives party and eventually quit politics in 2020 to work as a Sky News Australia commentator.

“Whether we have one seat, we have five seats, or 22 seats, we will be the strongest voice of opposition this government has ever faced, I assure you of that,” he said.

“We just want the best possible outcome for the people of South Australia and the people of Australia.”

Bernardi said he would focus on frontline services, including health, police and fire, as well as addressing issues like ambulance ramping—the practice of leaving patients on stretchers in hospitals when no beds are available.

“We need to stop wasting our money on bureaucrats and backroom operators and special deals,” he said.

“We need to focus on our police forces, on our frontline service operators and our ‘firies,’ our ambos and our health workers.

“It is about priorities and the fact is the priorities of this state need to be the people of this state, not the sort of empire building that we see in the bureaucracy.”

Bernardi’s comments come as One Nation experiences a surge in popularity, with a recent poll indicating Hanson is now more popular than Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the country’s most popular political leader.

Election analyst Anthony Green says federally there are 25 seats worth watching, including the Liberal-held South Australian seat of Barker.

“If come the next election One Nation polls 25 percent, it will be sweeping up seats all across rural and regional Australia. And most of those seats are held by the National and Liberal Parties,” Green said.

Hanson Asks South Australians to Give One Nation a Go

Meanwhile, Hanson said One Nation was offering South Australians a different political option.

“I think it’s up to the people of South Australia, we’re giving you an opportunity to vote for something different, give us a go ... you can’t get any worse than what you’ve got,” she said.

“I have trust and faith that we can make a difference, we can pull it back, we can give people hope and trust.”

The Labor government currently holds 29 of 47 seats in the state’s lower house, and 9 of 22 upper house seats.