Scott Morrison has announced the Liberal party will preference One Nation below Labor at the upcoming federal election.
The prime minister had come under considerable pressure to preference the party last following an Al Jazeera investigation revealed members of One Nation had met with the influential National Rifle Association (NRA) in America and discussed softening Australia's gun laws.
James Ashby — the chief of staff for One Nation's federal leader Pauline Hanson — and Queensland's One Nation leader Steve Dickson were secretly recorded telling undercover reporter Rodger Muller that the party was seeking millions of dollars of donations from the NRA.
The second part of the Al Jazeera investigation is due to air this evening on the ABC. In it, Hanson is recorded saying there are "a lot of questions" surrounding the Port Arthur Massacre in Tasmania in 1996.
Is THIS enough to make you announce today that you will put One Nation last today @ScottMorrisonMP? https://t.co/j6AbnROSTI
"An MP said it would actually take a massacre in Tasmania to change the gun laws in Australia," Hanson is recorded telling Muller. "Haven't you heard that? Have a look at it. It was said on the floor of parliament. Those shots, they were precision shots. Check the number out. I've read a lot, and I've read the book on it, on Port Arthur. A lot of questions there."
On Thursday morning, Morrison announced he had discussed the issue of preferences with members of his party, including former prime minister John Howard, and hadn't rushed into the decision.
"I was waiting to see what [One Nation's] reaction would be to those events earlier in the week and I'm disappointed by that reaction," the prime minister said.
"The comments particularly last night and the linkages to Port Arthur, I'm sure all Australians would be shocked about."
Morrison made a pitch to One Nation voters to instead vote for the Coalition in May's election.
"I say to those One Nation voters, those who have looked to One Nation in the past, you will not find the answers there and I think the events of this week demonstrate that once again," he said.
However, the prime minister did not commit to preferencing One Nation below the Greens.
"Frankly, I always found the Greens to be a real serious danger to Australia," he said. "The Greens have opposed us on almost every element of national security legislation we have put into this parliament. They have actively worked against the safety of Australians."
On Tuesday, Ashby and Dickson said they were "on the sauce" and had been drinking when discussing donations with Muller.
Hanson said she was "shocked and disgusted" by the investigation.
I was shocked & disgusted with the Al Jazeera hit piece. A Qatari government organisation should not be targeting Australian political parties. This has been referred to ASIO. After the full hit piece has been released I’ll make a full statement & take all appropriate action. -PH
On Thursday afternoon she held a press conference in Brisbane alongside Ashby and Dickson.
The One Nation leader claimed her comments about the Port Arthur Massacre had been heavily edited and called for Al Jazeera to release the unedited recordings.
She said Muller, who she described an “undercover operative for the Al Jazeera network”, had arranged the meetings with the NRA.
Hanson said she stood by Ashby and Dickson, saying the former had “made some stupid remarks, as we all have” but his integrity was not in question.
