The annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) served as a platform for leaders of the three main conservative parties – the Liberals, the Nationals, and One Nation – to present their messages and compete for the support of right-wing voters. The reception received in Brisbane on Saturday suggests that Pauline Hanson is the preferred opposition leader, while Angus Taylor has been relegated to a minor party leader.
Hanson has repeatedly criticised the coalition, to the amusement of the audience, yet the leader of One Nation is leaving the door open to some form of agreement to defeat the Labor government. Debates on how to 'unite the right' echoed through the Brisbane convention centre. The risk for Taylor, still the leader of the second-largest bloc in parliament, was to agree to a level playing field with Hanson, who leads a party with five other MPs.
The liberal leader was the first guest speaker, and his office described his introductory speech as 'keynote', yet CPAC presented all three leaders – Taylor, Hanson, and Matt Canavan – as equal stars. Hanson followed Taylor on the schedule. The moment Hanson literally sat in the seat Taylor had just vacated, while they were giving consecutive interviews to Karl Stefanovic, seemed symbolic.
Starting with a mea culpa for previous Liberal governments – apologising for his role in the increase in immigration, the pandemic spending, and the net zero – Taylor admitted that his party had 'made mistakes', but that it was now 'unashamedly on the right'. His speech favoured conservative themes, including 'big government', 'climate bureaucracy', the 'NDIA scam', and no less than six sarcastic references to 'socialism'. Although CPAC usually finds speakers for half of the coalition front, Taylor was the first current liberal leader to speak.
A few booed when he said that net overseas migration would rise from 100,000 to 160,000 according to the coalition's plan; more booed when he avoided Stefanovic's questions about why he was no longer working with Hanson. The loudest applause for Taylor came when he railed against socialism and big government, not for advocating fiscal discipline.
Hanson, on the other hand, received standing ovations from the majority of the hall before she even stepped onto the stage, to the hype of a video – to the tune of 'Amazing' by Vanessa Amorosi – that introduced her. Her speech was more scripted than usual, touching on economic pain, anger at climate policies, and 'mass migration' with criticism of 'elites'. Almost every line received enthusiastic applause. Despite the claim that Australians do not want a 'grumpy consultant' to replace Anthony Albanese and questioning how conservatives can 'trust' the coalition, Hanson showed more willingness to cooperate.
