Preferences to One Nation in NSW on the cards?
The deputy leader of the NSW opposition Walt Secord says Premier Gladys Berejiklian has refused to rule out directing preferences to One Nation candidates at the 2019 NSW election.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian
NSW Opposition Labor leader Luke Foley and NSW Deputy Opposition leader in the NSW Legislative Council Walt Secord today joined to condemned Ms Berejiklian for her failure to condemn the movement.
In NSW Parliament today (February 16), Ms Berejiklian was asked if she will make the same commitment as the State and Federal Labor Party and demand the Liberal Party not to direct its preferences to One Nation candidates.
Despite being asked a direct question Ms Berejiklian failed to give an answer.
Mr Secord, who is also NSW Parliamentary Friends of Israel deputy chair said he was surprised and was “deeply disappointed by Gladys Berejiklian”. “I thought she would have taken a principled stand on One Nation, but we see that she is willing to kowtow to extremists in the community”.
Ms Berejiklian was asked a question without notice in Question Time by Macquarie Fields Labor MP, Anoulack Chanthivong.
At the weekend, Ms Berejiklian’s Western Australian counterpart Colin Barnett made the decision to preference One Nation ahead of his State’s elections.
Walt Secord
One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson has continued to make deeply offensive and racist remarks to the Sydney Chinese community and multicultural communities across the country.
In 1996 she talked of being swamped by Asians and after the most recent Federal election she said: “You go and ask a lot of people in Sydney, at Hurstville or some of those other suburbs; they feel that they have been swamped by Asians.”
NSW Labor condemns her comments which seek to cause division within our communities.
NSW has a long and proud multicultural history and NSW Labor has longed pledged to not direct preferences to One Nation candidates.
Mr Foley said: “The resurgence of Pauline Hanson in Australian politics is dangerous and I condemn all of her racist remarks.
“Pauline Hanson seeks to spread ignorance and hateful bigotry and the Labor Party vows to take a strong stand against those sentiments.
“NSW Labor commits to never directing preferences to One Nation candidates in State elections.”
Mr Secord said he was sickened by the new Premier’s decision to “cozy up to the extreme-Right wing agenda of Pauline Hanson and One Nation”.
Mr Secord said he was “disgusted” by the NSW Liberal Party shift on One Nation – which had been in place since Prime Minister John Howard.
“While I am very critical of many of John Howard’s policies especially his industrial relations agenda, I recognise his work on firearms, East Timor and in 2001, putting One Nation last.”
“Our political leaders – regardless of whether they are Liberal, Labor, or National Party – should be repudiating the divisive views of One Nation – not climbing into bed with them. That is what the Liberals are doing,” Mr Secord said.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian told J-Wire: ““I strongly believe in tolerance for all members of our community and I have based my life in public office on that point. I am proud of NSW’s diversity and multiculturalism. What I will be fighting hard for at the next election is to ensure that people vote one for the Liberals-Nationals.”
The ALP in NSW dont get it do they.
It is not about directing preferences to One Nation but its about getting voters, be they One Nation and all the rest, to preference the Liberal as a second preference vote before the ALP.
Generally the last two parties standing on election day after preference distribution are the ALP and the Liberal and there preferences are rarely distributed.