Liberals preference One Nation ahead of Labor

The Liberals and Nationals will preference One Nation ahead of Labor at this month’s state election, Opposition Leader Jess Wilson has confirmed, although exceptions will be made in cases where candidates hold offensive views.

At a press conference on Tuesday morning, Wilson said the how-to-vote cards for Coalition candidates would instruct voters to put Labor, the Greens and the Victorian Socialists at the bottom of their ballot papers.

The decision echoes the Coalition’s position from 2022 and will capitalise on anti-Labor sentiment across much of the state, but may spark a backlash in some metropolitan or culturally diverse electorates where Pauline Hanson’s party is unpopular.

“The only way to change the government is for a number one next to the Liberals and Nationals,” Wilson said.

“In terms of our how-to-vote cards, we have made the decision that we will be putting Labor, the Greens, the Socialists at the bottom of the ticket, and all other parties above that.”

Wilson added that although their default position was to preference One Nation ahead of Labor, decisions would be made on a case-by-case basis, and a One Nation candidate could be preferenced lower if it emerged they held offensive views.

“As you would appreciate, there are more than 700 candidates at this election. The party is doing its work at the moment around due diligence to the best of our ability,” she said. “And in those cases, we will make decisions dependent on the candidates within each electorate.”

One Nation’s position has consistently been to put Labor and the Greens last on the ballot paper.

The decision will bolster Labor’s attack on the Coalition, which it has tried to link with One Nation, repeatedly arguing that Wilson will form a coalition with Hanson’s party to govern. Wilson has ruled out any formal deals, and polling suggests the Coalition may be able to form majority government in its own right.

The Age revealed in April that the Liberals would preference One Nation ahead of Labor, although final decisions were to be made on a seat-by-seat basis.

At the Nepean byelection in May, the Liberals preferenced One Nation in the third spot on the ballot paper, after only Peter Angelico of the Libertarian Party, who has since defected to One Nation. Labor did not stand a candidate at the byelection.

In 2022, in seats where One Nation had candidates, the Liberals preferenced them ahead of Labor. Labor preferenced the Liberals and Nationals ahead of One Nation.