One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts claimed images of deaths in Italy and China early in the pandemic were fake, in the latest shock claim from Pauline Hanson’s eccentric ally as Angus Taylor kills talk of a merger with One Nation in South Australia.
As Labor seizes on rumours of collaboration generated by South Australian Liberal senator Alex Antic, the opposition leader told this masthead he would unveil a document, titled The Coalition’s Plan, to hold up in media appearances and draw attention to his agenda.
The move, which emulates previous Coalition leaders, is an acknowledgement that Coalition policies announced at the time of the budget in May, particularly indexing tax brackets to create permanent relief and pegging migration to housing, have not yet cut through.
Well behind Hanson in the polls, Taylor has been trying to put a spotlight on her muddled policy agenda and the fringe views of Roberts, who has stated his belief in chemtrails, posted a picture of a well-known antisemitic mural, praised Vladimir Putin for the Ukraine invasion and brought up the possibility that Australia was a US corporate entity.
In newly unearthed footage recorded last year, Roberts claimed the public was persuaded to fear COVID-19 when “broadcasters had these videos of people dying in their droves in makeshift morgues in the streets of New York, the streets of Beijing, the streets of Italy”.
“We thought it is pretty serious from what we’ve seen. We didn’t realise until fairly recently that those were all staged. They’re bullshit,” he said.
Roberts said the public’s acceptance of the seriousness of the virus meant that citizens “gave Morrison his money”, referring to then-prime minister Scott Morrison. Roberts said he sought “evidence” from Morrison about the pandemic that was not provided.
The senator was contacted about the statements.
Complicating the Coalition’s scrutiny of Roberts was South Australian Liberal senator Alex Antic, who last week described Roberts as a “clear thinker”.
Taylor came down hard on Antic on Tuesday in response to the prospect of the senator pushing for a merger between the paltry number of Liberal and One Nation MPs in the South Australian parliament.
“That will not be happening,” Taylor told reporters. “I can assure you of that. So, the Liberal Party is strong in South Australia and will remain strong in South Australia. There won’t be any kind of merger or coalition.”
Taylor also rejected the views of podcaster Sam Bamford, whom Antic is hosting in Adelaide later this month. Bamford is leading the campaign against Liberal MP Andrew Hastie and supports the notion of “remigration”, which refers to large-scale deportations of non-white populations that has taken off with populists in Europe. Bamford has said that only white Australians and Indigenous people can claim to be true Australians.
“That is not our position and I’m sure Alex knows what our position is well,” Taylor said.
Taylor said “only the Liberals and Nationals have the strong leadership, strong team and a strong plan” to beat Labor, seeking to distinguish himself from Hanson.
“We will deliver lower taxes, abundant and cheap power, disciplined economic management, lower immigration for more homes, and policies that reward aspiration and hard work,” he said.
In a sign of anxiety within One Nation about recent controversy surrounding the party, its head office sent a memo to party members on Monday emphasising strict rules on dealing with journalists.
“No media outlet or journalist is ever entitled to attend a One Nation branch meeting,” the memo, first reported by The Nightly, stated. It also warned about speaking to reporters off the record and demanded members keep the memo to themselves.
“One person speaking out of turn can undo the disciplined work of every other branch in the country.”
Labor seized on the prospect of One Nation and the Liberal parties working together in South Australia, where Antic wants to run the Liberal division as president.
Environment Minister Murray Watt, Labor’s attack dog against Hanson, said: “No matter what they say, it’s clear that the Liberals can’t govern without One Nation and One Nation can’t win without the Liberals.”
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.
Paul Sakkal is Chief Political Correspondent. He previously covered Victorian politics and won a Walkley award and the 2025 Press Gallery Journalist of the Year. Contact him securely on Signal @paulsakkal.14.Connect via X or email.From our partners
Discover more from PressNewsAgency
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.