Pauline Hanson’s One Nation gains momentum in Queensland

THE latest opinion poll has revealed a trend among Queensland voters that will send shockwaves through the major parties.

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ALMOST half of Queenslanders believe that Pauline Hanson is addressing their concerns better than Malcolm Turnbull or Bill Shorten.

One Nation’s growing momentum in Australia’s protest state will send further shockwaves through the major ­parties, which are scrambling to identify grassroots policies that will claw back deserting Queensland voters.

In an opinion poll published in today’s The Courier-Mail, the voting intentions of about 900 Queenslanders revealed an ongoing trend — they are fed-up with Labor and the Coalition.

It comes as The Courier-Mail can today reveal that Labor leader Bill Shorten will launch an election-style blitz in Queensland to show that Labor “puts workers first”.

Source: Galaxy Research

The campaign will include public meetings, door knocking, phone calls, using social media and material attacking Coalition MPs, particularly in the seats of Dawson, Capricornia and Flynn.

Issues relating to foreign workers are biting in parts of rural and regional Queensland. Mr Shorten has spent the past week spruiking Labor’s plan to make it harder to ­import workers on 457 visas.

Opposition immigration spokesman Shayne Neumann said: “This campaign simply responds to the legitimate concerns people have about missing out on work to foreign 457 visa workers.”

The Coalition this week released a plan to cut the number of days — from 90 to 60 — a 457 worker can stay in Australia if they lose their job.

Taken on November 9-10, after Donald Trump’s win in the US election, the poll shows Queenslanders are fed-up with major parties and believe Ms Hanson knows better than ­career politicians.

The poll was taken before the Turnbull Government and Mr Shorten launched the overhauls to the 457 visa system.

Forty-five per cent of respondents said they ­believed Ms Hanson and One Nation addressed Queenslanders’ issues of concern better than the major parties. Forty-six per cent disagreed and 9 per cent were unsure.

The LNP’s primary vote has slipped from 43.2 per cent after the July election to 39 per cent, while One Nation’s vote has more than doubled from 5.5 per cent to 12 per cent.

Pauline Hanson celebrates Donald Trump’s victory in the US election. Picture: Supplied