Federal election 2019: Sarah Hanson-Young’s fight for Senate survival

Sarah Hanson-Young is facing an uphill battle in her bid to be re-elected according to a new poll.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young. Picture: AAP

Sarah Hanson-Young is facing an uphill battle in her bid to be re-elected to the Senate, with a new poll showing support for the Greens on the slide.

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A YouGov Galaxy poll, conducted last week and released today by The Advertiser, found primary support for the Greens in the South Australian seat of Sturt at 6 per cent — a drop of 1.1 per cent since the 2016 election.

Of further concern to Senator Hanson-Young is that Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party polled 9 per cent.

If a similar result occurred in the South Australian Senate vote, the UAP, aided by being preferenced second by the Liberals, would likely claim the fifth of six senate spots up for grabs.

Assuming Labor and the Liberals each claim two spots, this would leave the Greens competing with One Nation and Centre Alliance for the final position.

Senator Hanson-Young recently told The Australian that she was not complacent about being returned to the Senate, which she entered in 2008.

She was elected 11th out of 12 senators for South Australia at the 2016 double-dissolution election, with only 5.9 per cent of the primary vote — down from 13.3 per cent in 2010.

“We know that in South Australia there is a myriad of minor parties vying for those final two (Senate) spots and we’re going to fight for it,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

After preferences, Senate candidates must win at least 14.3 per cent of the vote in their state to claim one of six vacant Senate seats — a bar twice the height of 2016, when there were twice as many seats up for grabs.

South Australian Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham today tried to explain his party’s preference deal with Mr Palmer, whose UAP has placed the Liberals second on its lower house how-to-vote cards.

“I admit sometimes it is a bit of a ‘least-worst’ occasion when you’re dealing, when you’re choosing between One Nation or the Greens or the high taxes of the Labor Party, or any other minor parties,” he said.

Senator Hanson-Young is in Federal Court in Sydney today for the opening of her defamation case against former Liberal Democratic Party Senator David Leyonhjelm.