Queensland election 2017: Look who’s back … with KAP in hand
POLLS suggest preferences to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation will hold the balance of power after this month’s election, and now the party has struck a deal that brings another player into the game.
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PAULINE Hanson has arrived in Queensland and will hit the hustings today in what will be a state election game-changer.
The Courier-Mail can reveal her arrival coincides with a major preference deal struck between Katter’s Australian Party and One Nation that will supercharge both parties’ chances of holding the balance of power in the next Parliament.
Senator Hanson – who was greeted by One Nation candidates at the Brisbane International Airport last night as she arrived back from a week-long Indian trade mission – immediately put the major parties on notice.
“I’ve brought back curry that I’m actually going to deliver to both major political parties because I believe the people of Queensland are fed up with both of them,” the One Nation leader said.
“We will respect the voting public. That’s something that the major political parties don’t do – they’ve taken the people of Queensland for granted.”
“I think it’s going to be an exciting campaign.”
Her arrival on the campaign trail comes after the latest Galaxy poll found One Nation’s vote had jumped from 15 per cent to 18 per cent, setting the party up to repeat its feat at the 1998 state election when it won 11 seats.
And her party has neutralised a major issue that affected its electoral prospects in WA, pledging that its preference deal with KAP would be its only official alliance.
KAP state leader Robbie Katter described the deal between KAP and One Nation, officially signed off yesterday, as a defining moment of the campaign.
It could help the two parties clinch marginal regional seats such as Hinchinbrook, Thuringowa and Whitsunday – seats the LNP and Labor are hunting in their bid to win majority government.
“I believe this ensures KAP will be part of the next parliament and we will hold the balance of power with One Nation.” he said.
One Nation state leader Steve Dickson said there would be no other preference deals.
“The message that we are sending to the two tired old major parties is ‘wake up, look at what has happened all over the world’,” he said.
One Nation has so far preselected 61 candidates and nominations close tomorrow.
The Courier-Mail understands the party will form an alliance of sorts with some Gold Coast independents.
Originally published as Queensland election 2017: Look who’s back … with KAP in hand
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