One Nation strategist denies seeking preference deal with Victorian Labor
James Ashby said his recent contacts with Labor were about debate participation, not preference negotiations, as both parties reject claims of a deal ahead of the Victorian election.
Pauline Hanson’s chief strategist, James Ashby, rejected reports that he was trying to arrange a preference agreement between One Nation and the Victorian Labor Party before the state election. Ashby told Guardian Australia that his calls to Labor’s campaign headquarters on Oct. 24 and 26 were intended only to confirm whether the party would take part in leaders’ debates, noting that the dates kept changing.
"I wanted to know whether they were participating in the debates. That’s all it was," Ashby said.
He added that One Nation wanted Labor out of the debate lineup, saying the party had placed Labor last on its preference order.
"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."
A photograph showed One Nation’s Victorian leader, Warren Pickering, meeting Labor operative Andrew Landeryou for coffee in Melbourne’s CBD. The Liberal campaign cited the image as evidence of a possible deal, while Labor sources insisted the party was not negotiating with One Nation on principle.
"Preferences are negotiated by the Labor party. The Labor party is not speaking to One Nation," one insider said.
Landeryou, a registered lobbyist and chief executive of Critical Issues Group, declined to comment. Pickering described the meeting as coincidental and denied any preference arrangement.
"That is absolutely not a preference deal with Labor. 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 Labor powerbroker."
When asked whether One Nation would support a Labor majority government in exchange for greater cabinet transparency, Pickering said the party would not speculate on preferences or confidence matters at this stage, emphasizing its focus on winning the election.