Pauline Hanson eyes off rival territory with surprise new move for One Nation
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson isn't ruling out a tilt at the lower house as she attempts to set up a new office in a closely watched seat.
The Nationals are spoiling for a fight with Pauline Hanson over one of their prized regional seats after revelations the One Nation leader is hoping to establish a foothold in central Queensland.
Senator Hanson has asked the Department of Finance to investigate whether she can set up an additional electorate office in Yeppoon, which sits in the seat of Capricornia.
But the move may not be allowed, given departmental rules specify senators are generally only allowed one office outside parliament house.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.A spokesman for Senator Hanson confirmed she was in talks with the department, which is responsible for politicians’ offices, and did not rule out the One Nation leader running in Capricornia at the 2028 election.
Senator Hanson has previously expressed interest in moving to the lower house, but the spokesman said no decision had been made on which, if any, electorate she would contest.
Capricornia’s current Nationals MP, Michelle Landry, accused Senator Hanson of playing “little games” and said she would stand by her record if One Nation decided to run.
“It’s interesting when you have a celebrity politician that thinks they’re going to drop in and take the seat off a hard-working member that’s been in her fifth term,” she told AAP.
“I don’t appreciate it when people want to play these little games they’re playing.”
While lower-house MPs representing large electorates are allowed additional offices, senators are only allowed one electorate office within the state or territory they represent.
Senator Hanson’s current office is located in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices in Brisbane.
Relocating a senator’s office could cost taxpayers as much as $1 million.
According to her register of interests, the One Nation leader already owns a property in Cooee Bay, in the south of Yeppoon.
But Ms Landry said the property was a “vacant block of land”, with Senator Hanson having previously sold a house in the area.
Nationals leader Matt Canavan, who is in the senate as well, has also been the subject of speculation about a potential tilt for Capricornia.
If he and Senator Hanson were to go head-to-head in the electorate, it would shape up as a bombshell contest at the next federal election, due by 2028.
Ms Landry said she hadn’t decided whether to run at the election, but any move would be determined by what was best for the community and her family.
“I can tell you one thing, I won’t be pushed out by Pauline Hanson and (her chief of staff) James Ashby, because you’ve got to be very tough in seats like this,” she said.
