Liberal frontbencher Dan Tehan says coalition with One Nation ‘not even being talked about’

Dan Tehan told ABC’s Insiders: ‘We do not want to be part of a coalition with One Nation. We want to be part of a coalition with the Liberal party and the National party.’ Photograph: Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Dan Tehan told ABC’s Insiders: ‘We do not want to be part of a coalition with One Nation. We want to be part of a coalition with the Liberal party and the National party.’ Photograph: Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images Liberal frontbencher Dan Tehan says coalition with One Nation ‘not even being talked about’ Anthony Albanese mocks ructions on conservative side of politics and says three rightwing parties are caught up in ‘race to the bottom’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Liberal frontbencher Dan Tehan says he does not want to be in a rightwing coalition with One Nation , despite senior colleagues urging closer ties with Pauline Hanson and polls suggesting her rise will make it difficult for the opposition party to ever govern in its own right again. Prime minister, Anthony Albanese, on Sunday mocked the Liberal, National and One Nation parties as an “axis of grievance” on the conservative side of politics, but Tehan said a formal alliance was not being discussed among his colleagues. “We do not want to be part of a coalition with One Nation. We want to be part of a coalition with the Liberal party and the National party,” he told ABC’s Insiders on Sunday. Michelle Grattan and Melissa Clarke on the political year so far – podcast Read more While a formal coalition-style arrangement is not being publicly discussed, splits are emerging in the Liberals and Nationals about whether to fight One Nation or seek closer ties or a loose cooperation. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email Frontbencher Andrew Hastie has vowed “war” on Hanson’s party , while others such as junior shadow minister Tony Pasin have suggested a seat-sharing arrangement . Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie suggested she would “come and help [Hanson] campaign” in Labor-held seats and the former prime minister and now Liberal party president, Tony Abbott, has backed preference deals with One Nation . One Nation’s primary vote has been polling in the high 20s or low 30s in recent published opinion polls, neck-and-neck with Labor, while the Coalition polls in the high teens or low 20s. Last week’s Guardian Essential poll found Labor on a primary vote of 30%, One Nation on 26% and the Coalition on 23%. Polling experts have suggested the splitting of the conservative vote between One Nation and the Coalition would make it highly difficult for the Liberals and Nationals to re-enter government on their own, especially when combined with expectations One Nation could pick up a swag of seats at the next election, mostly at the expense of Coalition MPs. Tehan was asked on Insiders about what the Coalition needed to do in order to arrest its polling slide. He said the Coalition would continue criticising Labor for going back o