Unions defy Bill Shorten’s call to preference One Nation last at federal election

Unions defy Bill Shorten’s call to preference One Nation last at the federal election in the wake of the Christchurch terror attack.

Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) Secretary Sally McManus (centre) with executive ACTU members during a press conference. Picture: AAP

Australia’s union movement has defied Bill Shorten’s call to preference One Nation last and is instead urging voters to “put the Liberals last” at the upcoming federal election, amid a political stoush over how to treat the minor party in the wake of the Christchurch terrorist attack.

The Liberal Party seized on the union campaign after the Victorian Trades Hall Council, which is the state division of the ACTU, released brochures in Health Minister Greg Hunt’s electorate of Flinders with the slogan: “Vote for someone who will represent us in parliament. Put the Liberals last.”

The ACTU is also inviting voters to take a pledge online to “put the Liberals last”, saying the party was undermining Australia’s living standards.

The Opposition Leader this week invited the Liberal and National parties to “form a ring” with Labor to “stop the crazy extremists from getting oxygen” by pledging to put One Nation candidates and Queensland senator Fraser Anning last on how-to-vote cards.

“At the very same time Bill Shorten is saying ‘let’s form a bond’ on preferences and don’t put the Liberal last, his union bosses are putting materials into marginal seats telling people to do the opposite,” a Liberal Party spokesman said. “What a hypocrite.”

ACTU secretary Sally McManus refused to back down from the anti-Liberal campaign on Thursday night, saying minor parties like One Nation were not relevant in seats the union movement would be active in.

“Of course we want to see far-right, fringe-dwelling extremists at the bottom of every ballot paper. The reality is that in the seats the union movement is campaigning in there are only two candidates who can win — the Liberals/LNP or the Australian Labor Party,” Ms McManus said.

“We do not intend on giving any platform whatsoever to far right extremists who poll less than one per cent by drawing attention to them or even mentioning their names.”

A Labor spokeswoman said Mr Shorten had made his position clear: “Labor will put One Nation and other extremist parties last, because we don’t agree with their views and we don’t support their division. Scott Morrison still won’t rule out giving Liberal preferences to One Nation.”

Coalition MPs are also split on how to preference One Nation, with a growing number of Queensland members and senators rejecting calls from Liberal moderates and Labor to put Pauline Hanson’s candidates last.

The Prime Minister has said there will be no preference deals with One Nation but refused to say where he thinks the party’s candidates should be placed on how-to-vote cards.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack on Thursday endorsed calls by Queensland Nationals for the Greens to be put last.

“(The Greens) are much more of a danger than any other political party to our social fabric and to all the things that the National Party holds near and dear. The Greens are a threat to making sure that farmers have the right to farm, making sure that farmers are able to take the advantage and benefit of such things as the inland rail,” the Nationals leader said.

“The Greens are the greatest danger to people who want to live in the regions, people for whom the regions are so important. The Greens are our biggest danger.”

Senator Hanson was criticised after she revealed she would abstain from a bipartisan censure motion to be moved against Senator Anning, who blamed the Christchurch massacre on New Zealand’s immigration program and Muslim “fanatics”.