Victorian Liberals and One Nation Form Preference Deal

The Victorian Liberal Party and One Nation have entered a preference agreement to place each other above the Labor Party in the upcoming state election. One Nation representative James Ashby confirmed the party will place Labor last on its preference lists, stating, "We want them gone. That’s why we put them last."

In response, the Victorian Labor Party announced it will run open tickets in the inner-city seats of Caulfield and Prahran, meaning the party will not dictate preferences to its voters. Labor Minister Anthony Carbines criticized the Liberal-One Nation arrangement, claiming it indicates an intent to form a government together and describing the strategy as "nudge-nudge wink-wink."

Labor's decision to use open tickets may complicate efforts by the Greens to reclaim Prahran from Liberal MP Rachel Westaway. While the Greens are running candidate Angelica Di Camillo and reporting increased primary polling, the lack of directed preferences from Labor creates a strategic obstacle for the party in that electorate.