Liberal MPs are mixed on a potential three-party coalition, after a DemosAU megapoll of more than 9000 voters projected One Nation could win up to 60 lower house seats to Labor’s 68. The Coalition would lose up to 30 seats to hold just 13, while the Greens would take three and others six.
With 76 seats required to form a majority government, the projection would mean Labor would need to rely on the Greens and independents, while One Nation would need the backing of the Coalition.
The poll projected One Nation would win in 20 of Queensland’s 30 seats, including Labor-held Blair, Dickson, Petrie, Forde, and Leichhardt.
The LNP would be almost totally wiped out, losing Bowman, Capricornia, Dawson, Fadden, Fairfax, Fisher, Flynn, Groom, Hinkler, Longman, Maranoa, McPherson, Wide Bay, and Wright.
The Townsville seat of Herbert would be the only remaining LNP-held seat in the state.
Its neighbouring electorate Kennedy would turn from Katter’s Australia Party to One Nation.
The MPR also suggests the inner-city seat of Brisbane would flip back to the Greens after Labor won it from the minor party last year.
Elsewhere, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor would lose his NSW seat of Hume to One Nation. Liberal leadership aspirant Andrew Hastie would also lose WA’s Canning.
Moderate Liberal frontbencher Andrew Bragg left the door open to forming a coalition with One Nation on Monday morning, saying “we would definitely work out whoever would be interested in being in a Coalition with us, of that’s what the numbers were”.
“If the numbers were the numbers and we had to be in a Coalition with others, then of course we would be pragmatic,” he told Channel 9.
Mr Taylor said there would be no such Coalition with the minor party.
“There will be no coalition with One Nation. Our coalition is with the National Party and that’s the coalition that can deliver the strong plan and the strong team to get this country back to where it needs to be,” Mr Taylor said.