One Nation shocks major parties
By Bill Mason
BRISBANE — The result of the Queensland election hangs in the balance as Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly goes to press, with a victory for the ALP dependent on preferences in a small number of tightly contested seats.
The only other possible outcome is a National-Liberal Coalition government, in alliance with the racist Pauline Hanson's One Nation party — a recipe for disaster for working people in Queensland, especially Aborigines and non-Anglo migrants.
According to the June 14 Sunday Mail, at close of counting on election night, Labor had 39 seats, the Nationals 22, the Liberals 8, One Nation 9 and 11 seats were still in doubt.
The National Party suffered a swing against it of 11.5%, while the Liberals' primary vote slumped 6.8%. The ALP primary vote state-wide fell 3%, as One Nation's vote exceeded 20% across Queensland.
In Brisbane, Labor picked up substantially from the last election in 1995, with double-digit swings away from the Liberals in the suburbs.
Ironically, the Coalition's controversial decision to give preferences to One Nation over Labor, while effectively electing Hanson candidates in several formerly Labor seats in the regions, assisted in the demolition of the Liberal vote in Brisbane. One Nation support was significantly lower in Brisbane than the rest of the state, but nevertheless substantial at up to 10%.
The Liberals suffered a 13% swing against them in Springwood, with similar figures in Mansfield and Greenslopes. These were the seats which turned the 1995 election against the Goss Labor government, primarily over the issue of the south-east motorway and koala protection.
The votes of other alternative parties were generally lower than previously, as the One Nation media juggernaut pushed all other voices aside in the campaign.
Votes for the Greens and the Australian Democrats were around the 5% mark, or lower, with a few exceptions such as Greens spokesperson Drew Hutton who won 9% of the vote.
A major factor in the lower vote for progressive small party candidates was the intense polarisation of the campaign around One Nation — with the consequent swing back to Labor in the metropolitan area.
Even the other minor right-wing parties, such as the Australia First and Australian Reform parties, were squeezed out by One Nation, achieving tiny votes in Brisbane seats.
At the close of counting on election night, Democratic Socialist candidates Graham Matthews (Brisbane Central) and Coral Wynter (South Brisbane) had scored 287 (1.8%) and 269 (1.6%) respectively.
In a statement released on June 14, the Democratic Socialist candidates urged a strong stand against One Nation by the ALP and all progressive parties.
"One Nation achieved this result by exploiting the fears and suffering of people in the rural areas and regional towns", Matthews and Wynter said. "Widespread disenchantment with the two-party system and with the economic 'rationalist' policies of both parties has led to this disaster.
"While claiming to be 'listening to the voice of the people', Hanson and Co. are actually turning Â鶹´«Ã½ of the community against one another, victimising the most disadvantaged groups for the problems created by big business.
"This result creates an emergency situation for the progressive movement. We must redouble our efforts to fight One Nation and any racist alliance with a future Coalition government."