Conservative leaders promise unity despite on-stage friction

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 10 Oct, 05:31 · Archive

Australia's conservative party leaders vowed to work together to remove the government, despite taking shots at each other.

Liberal leader Angus Taylor, One Nation's Pauline Hanson and the Nationals' Matt Canavan attended the Conservative Political Action Conference in Brisbane, where they vowed to work together to remove the Albanese government despite visible friction between them.

Taylor promised to scrap Australia's commitment to net zero under the Paris Agreement and end mass migration. He said he was willing to stand in front of three flags "as long as they are all Australian flags". He received a partial standing ovation. Hanson drew a larger response, with two-thirds of the remaining crowd standing as she pledged One Nation would work with the Liberals and Nationals to form a future coalition.

Hanson acknowledged past tensions with the Liberal Party, saying "I know what it means to put personal history aside and turn the other cheek. The Liberal Party threw me out, then they threw me in jail. I do have reasons to hold a grudge but I also have children and grandchildren." The conference was billed as a unity event for Australia's splintered conservative parties, though the speakers' competing appeals to the crowd and their mutual criticism undermined the message.

How it is being reported

• Conservatives one, and all over the place at conferenceA political conference has made an impassioned call for unity between Australia's splintered conservative parties but there was friction onstage and off.Perth Now · 10 Oct, 04:55
• Conservatives one, and all over the place at conferenceA political conference has made an impassioned call for unity between Australia's splintered conservative parties but there was friction onstage and off.The West Australian · 10 Oct, 04:55

In this story: Angus Taylor · Pauline Hanson · Matt Canavan · Australian Labor Party · Liberal Party · One Nation · Nationals · Brisbane

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem