Pauline Hanson invites Nationals to form coalition with One Nation amid negotiations over new agreement with Liberal Party
Senator Hanson joined Bronwyn Bishop for a panel on The World According to Rowan Dean on Friday, where she discussed how the Liberal Party had lost a lot of its negotiating power as it aims to come to terms with the National Party on a new coalition agreement.
The Liberal Party lost a plethora of seats in the 2025 election, with another in doubt, while the Nationals retained each of their seats.
The Nationals' superior performance led Senator Hanson to declare they have a stronger position in discussions over the agreement, as both parties appear split on particular issues - including where they each stand on net zero.
Senator Hanson hinted this could cause "problems within" the Coalition, especially after members of the Nationals made clear their feelings about ditching the position of reaching net zero by 2050.
"Now the Nats have actually kept all their seats, the Libs have lost their seats. They don't have the upper hand. With the numbers in the parliament, the Nats are wanting to say 'hey, hang on a minute, we're going to really talk seriously about policy'," she said on Sky News' The World According to Rowan Dean.
"The Nats definitely want to get out of net zero. I think it could be make or break for the Coalition."
Senator Hanson also left the door open to the Nationals to enter and alliance with One Nation, claiming they were more in line with her own party's policies.
"I was the first one to come out against the Voice, then followed by the Nats. It took Dutton and the Liberal Party months before they came out against the Voice. So there are things that they're actually dragged along, kicking and screaming; coal-fired power stations, net zero, also transmission lines," she said.
"So what I'll say, the Nats are more in line with One Nation's policies and if they want to, if David Littleproud wants to come and talk to me about doing a coalition I'll have no problem sitting down and having a talk with him. Because we're more in line with the same policies (and) what we want for the country."
Senator Hanson also said that while she congratulated Sussan Ley on becoming the first female leader of the Coalition, she did not have "a lot of confidence in her".
While the Senator suggested there could be trouble brewing over a deal between the Liberals and Nationals getting over the line, Ms Bishop did not express the same concern.
"Look, when the Liberal Party was formed 81 years ago, and the Country Party, as it then was, declined to become part of the new party, it was decided that they would go into coalition, and they've been that way for 81 years. It's not about to change," she said.
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