West Australian Labor MPs have criticised Pauline Hanson after the One Nation leader said her party would target the federal Labor seats of Brand and Cowan at the next election. During a visit to Perth, Hanson told 6PR that One Nation had introduced a tougher candidate vetting process and claimed 1500 people had expressed interest in standing for the party at the next federal election.
Brand MP Madeleine King dismissed One Nation as a party “only focused on themselves and their own interests”, arguing Labor was instead focused on delivering practical policies. She said One Nation offered “anger” rather than answers, and accused the party of opposing cost-of-living relief, better wages and job security for workers. Cowan MP Anne Aly also pushed back, saying her electorate was not a political experiment and describing Cowan as “proudly multicultural, hardworking and generous”. Aly said her priority was delivering for local families, strengthening Medicare, backing small businesses and giving her community a strong voice in government.
Perth MP Patrick Gorman warned that One Nation’s policies could damage Western Australia’s economy, particularly if they restricted access to the skills and knowledge needed to grow the State’s critical minerals sector. He said such an approach could lead to job losses, especially alongside One Nation’s opposition to wage increases for low-paid and award workers. Gorman also noted that Hanson rarely visited WA, suggesting the attention around her trip reflected its unusual nature.
Independent Curtin MP Kate Chaney offered a different perspective on the rise of minor-party support, saying voter dissatisfaction did not have to flow to One Nation. Speaking on Sky News, Chaney said, “At the last election, one-third of people voted for someone other than a major party, it’s now a half, so that’s growing”. She said the key question was “where that frustration gets focused”.
Chaney argued that community independents showed a more positive path for voters disillusioned with the major parties. “At the moment, some of it’s parked with One Nation, but what I saw in my community is it led to a community movement that said, ‘We don’t like what’s on offer, so we’re going to take matters into our own hands, form a group and find a candidate that represents us’. I think that’s a more constructive way to channel that energy.” She added that her constituents were concerned about Australia becoming more like the United States, and wanted to feel “connected, informed and hopeful”.
Hanson’s Perth visit also drew protests and included a speech in which she disclosed she had experienced domestic violence. The trip came amid One Nation claims it had raised more than $2 million in days, though Labor president Wayne Swan questioned the figure and linked the party to billionaire backers including Gina Rinehart.
The article also covers backlash to Hanson’s comments on international students. Hanson argued students should return to their home countries before applying for further study in Australia, claiming some were abusing the visa system. National Tertiary Education Union WA secretary Scott Fitzgerald rejected this, saying international students were not a problem to be solved but important contributors to WA’s economy and communities. Curtin University Student Guild president Dylan Storer accused One Nation of racist scapegoating, saying international students were more often exploited by the system than exploiting it.