Pauline Hanson's chief strategist, James Ashby, has denied attempting to orchestrate a preference deal between One Nation and Victorian Labor ahead of the state election. Two senior Labor sources told Guardian Australia he had contacted the party's campaign headquarters in recent weeks.
The Labor sources said Ashby had made calls to the party's senior leadership on 24 and 26 October. Ashby told Guardian Australia on Thursday the calls were about leaders' debates, not preference negotiations. "I wanted to know whether they were participating in the debates. That's all it was," he said. "I was trying to get a grasp of who was holding back these debates because the dates kept changing. My interest was simply in finding out exactly who was in and who was out, and whether or not they were being deterred from being involved because One Nation were involved." He was blunt about the suggestion he could be seeking a deal with Premier Ben Carroll's campaign: "There's no preference deals. I'm not interested in talking to them about preferences. We want them gone. That's why we put them last."
The exchange came as One Nation's Victorian leader, Warren Pickering, was pictured having coffee with Andrew Landeryou, a lobbyist associated with Labor's right faction, in Melbourne's CBD on Thursday morning. The Liberal campaign has seized on the image, suggesting One Nation and Labor could make a preference deal.
Victorian Labor sources insist the party is not negotiating with One Nation out of principle. One insider said: "Preferences are negotiated by the Labor party. The Labor party is not speaking to One Nation. The Liberal party should preference us before One Nation, just like John Howard did." A second source said Landeryou had "no involvement whatsoever" with the party's preferences ahead of the 28 November poll.
Landeryou, the partner of the late Victorian Labor senator Kimberley Kitching, is a registered lobbyist in Victoria and the chief executive of Critical Issues Group, which pitches itself as "counsel at the intersection of capital and consequence". He is close to former Labor leader Bill Shorten and has a history as a political blogger and operative.
Pickering said the meeting was coincidental. "That is absolutely not a preference deal with Labor," he said. "I was between two commitments, and I went to catch up with a different friend, and he happened to be there. I actually had no idea that he was some sort of a Labor powerbroker."
Labor has been seeking to make the prospect of a Liberal minority government a factor for voters ahead of the poll, suggesting opposition leader Jess Wilson could be reliant on One Nation to hold power. In recent days, billboards warning voters of a Liberal-One Nation coalition have been erected across a range of critical seats including suburban Bentleigh and Mordialloc. Nationally, Labor hopes the prospect of Hanson's populist movement having an influence on government in Victoria could scare voters into reconsidering moves away from the major parties.
Asked on Monday whether One Nation would support a Labor majority government if it agreed to make cabinet decisions more transparent, Pickering said: "We are not going to engage in speculation about preferences or supply and confidence at this point. One Nation is here to win, and we will get this done, whatever the disposition of the parliament." Wilson initially refused to participate in proposed debates involving Carroll and Pickering, saying she would only debate the premier, but has agreed to appear alongside them at a "people's forum" on 17 November which will also include Greens leader Ellen Sandell.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Victoria votes on 28 November, and the election could leave no party with a clear majority, making preference deals and minority-government arrangements decisive.
- Labor is campaigning in key seats on the warning that a Liberal government could rely on One Nation for support.
- The dispute over whether One Nation and Labor have been in contact could influence how voters in seats such as Bentleigh and Mordialloc respond.
Background
The Victorian election is set for 28 November, with Premier Ben Carroll's Labor government seeking another term against the Liberal opposition led by Jess Wilson. One Nation's Victorian leader is Warren Pickering, and James Ashby serves as Pauline Hanson's chief strategist. Labor and the Liberals have both sought to use One Nation's role in the campaign to attack the other side.
Key Perspectives
- James Ashby: Says his calls to Labor were about leaders' debates, not preferences. "There's no preference deals. I'm not interested in talking to them about preferences. We want them gone. That's why we put them last."
- Victorian Labor sources: Say Ashby contacted the party's campaign headquarters and made calls to senior leadership on 24 and 26 October. One insider said, "The Labor party is not speaking to One Nation."
- Warren Pickering: Says the coffee meeting with Andrew Landeryou was coincidental. "That is absolutely not a preference deal with Labor."
- Liberal campaign: Has suggested the image of Pickering and Landeryou shows One Nation and Labor could make a preference deal.
What to Watch
- The "people's forum" on 17 November, where Carroll, Pickering, Wilson and Greens leader Ellen Sandell will appear together, and whether preference questions come up.
- Whether either party produces evidence of preference negotiations before polling day.
- The 28 November result and any minority-government talks that could follow if no party wins a majority.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedAshby denies attempting to orchestrate a One Nation preference deal with Victorian Labor ahead of the state election.Australia news | The Guardian: “James Ashby denies attempting to orchestrate One Nation preference deal with Labor ahead of Victorian election.”
- SupportedAshby said his calls to Labor were about leaders’ debates, not preference negotiations.Australia news | The Guardian: “But Ashby told Guardian Australia on Thursday his calls were not about preference negotiations, but about leaders’ debates.”
- SupportedTwo senior Labor sources told Guardian Australia Ashby had contacted the party’s campaign headquarters in recent weeks.Australia news | The Guardian: “Two senior Labor sources have told Guardian Australia that James Ashby has contacted the party’s campaign headquarters in recent weeks”
- SupportedThe Labor sources said Ashby called the party’s senior leadership on 24 and 26 October.Australia news | The Guardian: “including making calls to their senior leadership on 24 and 26 October.”
- SupportedAshby said, “I wanted to know whether they were participating in the debates. That’s all it was”.Australia news | The Guardian: ““I wanted to know whether they were participating in the debates. That’s all it was,” he said.”
- SupportedAshby said, “There’s no preference deals. I’m not interested in talking to them about preferences. We want them gone. That’s why we put them last.”Australia news | The Guardian: ““There’s no preference deals. I’m not interested in talking to them about preferences. We want them gone. That’s why we put them last.””
- SupportedOne Nation Victorian leader Warren Pickering was pictured having coffee with Andrew Landeryou in Melbourne’s CBD on Thursday morning.Australia news | The Guardian: “One Nation’s Victorian leader, Warren Pickering, was pictured having coffee with the Labor operative Andrew Landeryou in Melbourne’s CBD on Thursday morning.”
- SupportedThe Liberal campaign suggested the image meant One Nation and Labor could make a preference deal.Australia news | The Guardian: “The Liberal campaign has seized on the image, suggesting that One Nation and Labor could make a preference deal.”
- SupportedA Labor insider said the party was not speaking to One Nation and urged the Liberals to preference Labor before One Nation.Australia news | The Guardian: ““The Labor party is not speaking to One Nation. “The Liberal party should preference us before One Nation, just like John Howard did.””
- SupportedA second Labor source said Landeryou had no involvement in the party’s preferences ahead of the 28 November poll.Australia news | The Guardian: “A second source said Landeryou had “no involvement whatsoever” with the party’s preferences ahead of the 28 November poll.”
- SupportedPickering said the coffee meeting was not a preference deal and that he had not known Landeryou was a Labor powerbroker.Australia news | The Guardian: ““That is absolutely not a preference deal with Labor,” he said. “I was between two commitments, and I went to catch up with a different friend, and he happened to be there. I actually had no idea that he was some sort of a Labor powerbroker.””
- SupportedWilson agreed to appear with Carroll and Pickering at a people’s forum on 17 November, which would also include Greens leader Ellen Sandell.Australia news | The Guardian: “but has agreed to appear alongside them at a “people’s forum” on 17 November which will also include the Greens leader, Ellen Sandell.”