15 October 2025

‘Not taking my job’: McCormack stares down One Nation surge

| By Oliver Jacques
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two faces

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party is moving into Michael McCormack’s territory. Photo: File.

Federal Riverina MP Michael McCormack says Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party is a “fringe” movement that will never be able to change policies, after the minor party announced it was launching a branch in Wagga for the first time.

Former local councillor Paul Funnell has invited Queensland senator Malcolm Roberts to Wagga on Tuesday (21 October) for an information night and to elect interim members to the branch.

“I’m not one to sit down; I’ve had enough of what’s going on. Cost of living, net zero, basin plan – we are under attack,” Mr Funnell said.

He said the Liberals and Nationals had drifted too far to the left and true conservatives didn’t have a home.

“Michael McCormack proudly signed up to net zero in 2020; he’s changed his tune now he’s in opposition but he didn’t stand up for us when he was in government,” Mr Funnell said.

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Mr McCormack said things were vastly different when he supported a target of negating the amount of greenhouse gases produced by human activity.

“China was playing hardball with our exports and we were looking to Europe … all their contracts were premised on us being a net zero country; for our farmers sake, I supported it,” he said.

“I called for agriculture to be carved out … there was also supposed to be a fund for regional infrastructure, but there’s none of that after we lost government.

“I’ve changed my view because our electorate has been carpet bombed by wind towers that the community doesn’t want.”

One Nation has surged in the polls in recent months and now has a higher level of support than the Greens nationwide.

The former deputy prime minister said the minor party deserved credit for effective campaigning but would never be able to change anything.

“You can’t have fringe political parties and independents pretending they’re ever going to be behind the Cabinet table making decisions; they’re people outside the tent throwing rocks,” he said.

“Paul Funnell has run before and he didn’t get elected and there’s a reason he didn’t get elected … I’ve been re-elected five times.

“These people would love my job but they’re not getting my job … if anyone doesn’t think I’m a true conservative they’re kidding themselves.”

A One Nation spokesman said his party would be running candidates at federal, state and local level across the Riverina and believed it could make gains.

“Polls published in the past two weeks are showing falling support for the Coalition while One Nation’s numbers have effectively doubled since the election. Australians are very clearly seeing One Nation as an alternative, particularly those seeking an end to net zero policies supported by the Nationals,” he said.

He said One Nation was targeting dismantling net zero, Murray Darling Basin water reform, housing, the cost of living and protecting agriculture from Labor and the Greens.

Mr Funnell also wants immigration reform.

“Mass immigration is ridiculous … we are getting a new West Wyalong in Australia every day. But where are the hospitals, where are the public dams, the infrastructure is not keeping up,” he said.

“We want to start a branch to be able to feed up the chain to tell the politicians what we need.”

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He said he wouldn’t rule out taking on Mr McCormack himself at the next federal election, but the party would have a democratic process to choose its candidate.

Mr McCormack said One Nation might make a splash, but parties based on an individual personality just didn’t last.

“One Nation has only had one seat in Federal Parliament since federation. Parties that have one name attached to them have never taken off … who’s going to take over when Pauline Hanson stands down?”

One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts will be at Wagga RSL Club at 6 pm Tuesday 21 October to launch the Riverina branch and host a Q&A session.

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