SMH · Paul Sakkal, Rob Harris · Sunday 29 March 2026
Tony Abbott campaigns in Albury as Pauline Hanson offers the Coalition a preference deal in Farrer, with the Liberals facing potential wipeout in regional NSW.
Tony Abbott doorknocking in Albury to save the Liberal Party is like sending the arsonist back to check the smoke detectors. Hanson isn't stealing Liberal voters — she's offering to rent them back at preference rates, which tells you who holds the lease. When your rescue plan is a man the electorate sacked a decade ago brokering terms with the woman he once told voters to put last, the party hasn't hit rock bottom — it's furnishing the place.