Anthony Albanese offers a rare show of support for Liberal rival Andrew Hastie as his feud with Pauline Hanson erupts: 'Good on you'

By CAITLIN POWELL - NEWS REPORTER and DANIEL PIOTROWSKI, DEPUTY EDITOR, AUSTRALIA Published: 01:16, 3 July 2026 | Updated: 01:18, 3 July 2026 Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has praised Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie for 'standing up' to One Nation amid the feud between him and One Nation. Hastie, who represents Canning, has been vocal about his opposition to Pauline Hanson's party and that he would 'never surrender' to them. 'I would rather get taken out in a box than bend the knee to One Nation,' he told his Coalition colleagues in June. On Thursday, there was speculation that his opposition to One Nation had cost the Liberal frontbencher support, including criticism in a column published by Nine Newspapers.  But Hastie pushed back on the rumours, telling 2GB host Luke Grant he would not be leaving the Liberals. 'I'm not on my way out, Luke. I am here to stay, and I will recontest the next election,' he said. But Hastie then found an unlikely source of support in Albanese during Question Time, when the Prime Minister wished him luck.  'There's a lot of chatter about the member for Canning, who's insisting he's running again,' Albanese said. Andrew Hastie (pictured) has been vocal about his opposition to Pauline Hanson's party and that he would 'never surrender' to them On Thursday, there was speculation that his opposition to One Nation had cost the Liberal frontbencher support (Pictured, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson) 'And good luck to you. And certainly, if it's you or One Nation, I'm for this bloke. And good on you for standing up to them.' One Nation has personally targeted Hastie - with chief strategist James Ashby announcing that the party will target his seat of Canning at the next election. Hastie also copped criticism for testifying against Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith during his defamation case against Nine newspapers.  Threats against Hastie have prompted a security upgrade at his family home and office. A former SAS soldier, he has also said he is receiving extra security after what he believes is a One Nation-fuelled campaign against him due to his stance on war crimes allegations involving Ben Roberts-Smith. Hastie has also emerged as a possible successor to Angus Taylor, according to Daily Mail's political editor Peter van Onselen. The Coalition is wallowing in the polls, with its primary vote stalled at just 17 per cent in a Newspoll survey released on Monday. 'Andrew Hastie delivered the Tom Hughes Oration in Sydney at the beginning of last week... It was ostensibly a speech about artificial intelligence, sovereignty and the future of Australia,' van Onselen wrote. Hastie has now found a surprising source of support in Anthony Albanese 'Whether Hastie admits it or not, it was also his first public pitch to replace Angus Taylor as Liberal leader.' van Onselen noted Hastie, the shadow minister for industry and sovereign capability, mounted an argument about national independence, energy abundance, Australia's strategic vulnerability and the collapse of education standards. 'It was ambitious, had scale, and was unmistakably a new leadership manifesto,' he wrote. 'And it landed at a moment when the Liberal Party is desperate for someone to look like they know where the country is going and how to manage it.' The Canning MP sent supporters the following email on June 26 after his comments to the party room were reported publicly: 'There's been plenty of commentary this week about my remarks on One  Nation. Rather than rely on headlines, I want you to hear directly from me. Pauline Hanson and James Ashby have made it clear on the public record that they’re targeting me in Canning. But they haven’t just targeted my seat. They’ve run a relentless campaign of personal attacks against me online. It's become serious enough that security at my home and electorate office needs to be upgraded. I explained this to the Joint Party Room this week in Parliament, and my comments were briefed to the media. Yes, I said I’d never surrender to One Nation. And yes, I said that they’d have to take me out in a box before that happens. Here are four takeaways for you: 1. One Nation has declared war on me, so they shall have war. I won’t be pushed around by One Nation. Nor will I bow the knee to them. This is now personal, and they will have to blast me out of Canning. 2. All this talk of preferences from some people in the Liberal Party is premature. It signals weakness. We should only act from a position of strength. If One Nation really wants to make peace, then come to the table. But it will be on our terms. 3. There's plenty of fight left in us. We're firing up for the biggest battle since Sir Robert Menzies formed the Liberal Party in 1944. I believe the Liberals can defeat Labor to win government, take back control of Australia, and build our nation into a respected regional power. 4. But if One Nation wants to meet us on the battlefield, then so be it. They should heed Sun Tzu’s wisdom to never press a determined foe. Two years is a long time in politics, and One Nation will be closely scrutinised. The real enemy isn’t me. It’s Labor. And here’s the irony: while One Nation is targeting me, Labor is targeting you. If One Nation were serious about defeating Labor, they'd be in Parliament helping us stop Labor's new taxes instead of attacking Coalition MPs. A case in point: Barnaby Joyce - one of the key architects of Australia’s disastrous Net Zero policy - didn’t turn up to Parliament to fight Labor’s new taxes. Instead, he was off on a frolic in London. One Nation are a rudderless super-yacht trying to navigate a dynamic world. Meanwhile, the Liberals are gathering strength, and we will do what we must to defeat Labor. We're working hard to get ready for the long campaign ahead. What is our policy? End mass migration. Unlock our energy abundance by dumping Net Zero. Cut taxes for millions of Australians. Prepare for the AI revolution. Strengthen Australia’s security. What is our aim? Defeat the Albanese government, and form a centre-right government that delivers our reform agenda for the Australian people. We aren’t just preparing to fight - we're preparing to win.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.