Canavan insists Liberal-Nationals ‘best alternative government’ despite One Nation success

One Nation’s thumping victory in a West Australian by-election has prompted the Nationals to warn of a “massive backlash” from Australians towards federal Labor’s economic agenda.

The populist party’s Luke Herdegen won the Secret Harbour contest on Saturday with a massive 17.5 per cent swing against Labor in a seat it had easily won last year.

The win makes Mr Herdegen One Nation’s first MP in the state’s lower house.

One Nation’s increasing favourability with voters has proved a major challenge for the Liberals and Nationals, who have crashed in the polls as the populist party accelerates its campaign to target disaffected voters across the country.

But Nationals leader Matt Canavan – who clashed with One Nation leader Pauline Hanson on the front lines of News Corp’s Bush Summit last week – insisted a Liberal-National partnership would be the “best alternative government” and would not be drawn on a possible deal with One Nation.

He said Secret Harbour voters were frustrated with Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers for having “lost control” of the economy.

“The results we saw in Western Australia on the weekend are no doubt related to a massive backlash against this government’s economic agenda,” Senator Canavan told News24.

“People are trying to send a message, but it doesn’t seem like the Treasurer, the Prime Minister, or anyone in the Labor Party are getting the note.”

The Prime Minister, in his first comments following One Nation’s WA victory, on Sunday told Labor faithful in Queensland it was more “crucial” than ever to defeat populism, a threat he described as peddling divisive politics around the world.

He accused One Nation, in particular, of having “no serious answers to our problems”.

“Every time they achieve any success, it leads to chaos and division,” Mr Albanese said.

This criticism was derided by One Nation chief of staff James Ashby, who described the federal government as “desperate”.

“They know that no Labor seat is safe across this country after the by-election in Secret Harbor in Western Australia,” he said.

“And rather than the Labor Party accepting they have a problem, they’re now suggesting One Nation is the problem, which is just completely inaccurate.”