Western Australia’s opposition leader Basil Zempilas is “not fearful” of the rise of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and acknowledges his Liberal Party will need to decide before the state election in 2029 whether to direct its preference votes to the party or distance from it.
A recent interview with ABC revealed Zempilas has not entirely ruled out joining with One Nation ahead of the election.
“Of course I respect them, but I’m not fearful of them because I know what the WA Liberal Party is about,” Zempilas said.
He emphasised that the party has time before the 2029 election to clearly assess its values, the policies that support them, and how they would benefit everyday West Australians.
“There is a lot of water to go under the bridge, but at the right time, those conversations and considerations will be made,” he said.
Over the weekend, the Liberals faced another election defeat in South Australia, with One Nation substantially beating them on primary votes. Zempilas noted that One Nation’s strong vote in South Australia did not translate into many seats.
The WA Liberals have a track record of striking preference deals with One Nation. In 2017, then-premier Colin Barnett’s decision to place the minor party ahead of the Nationals in regional areas backfired, resulting in a heavy defeat for the Liberals. Even Pauline Hanson acknowledged that the preference arrangement had harmed her party.
Ahead of the 2025 election, the Liberals adjusted their strategy, ranking One Nation fourth on their upper house how-to-vote card, behind the Nationals and Australian Christians. Despite this, One Nation secured two seats in the upper house, up from zero in the previous term.
Zempilas, who has led WA’s opposition for the past year, acknowledges the steep learning curve that comes with the position. “It’s clear that I am still learning many of the things that come with this space and with this job, but I’ve enjoyed every single moment of it,” he said.
Should Zempilas become Premier, he considered his first point of action saying, “Spending would be redirected into the absolute essentials — and they are housing, health and household stress that’s manifesting through these cost-of-living pressures.”
Source: ABC News
