Liberals' Dilemma: Feed One Nation or Lose Ground

0:00It's March 22nd. Welcome in. This is Adelaide News today, where local news meets AI. I'm Corey with the story. Liberal leader Angus Taylor faces a tough fight in the upcoming fair by-election on May 9th, especially after one nation's strong showing in South. Australia's state election. There, the parties split the conservative vote in half and outpulled the liberals on primary votes. Early signs suggest one nation could do the same in this new South Wales regional seat. The front runners right now are one nation's David Farley, an agribusiness man and former nationals member, an independent teacher, Michelle Milthorpe. Liberal candidate, Ryseb Akowski, picked just a week ago, sits third. Ferrer has stayed in conservative hands for decades, including 25 years under former leader, Susan Lay. Liberals worry about where to direct their preferences if they fall short. Milthorpe gets support from climate 200, so they're calling her a teal, though she pushes back and seems more like a traditional country.

1:00Independent. Still, many in the party see her as preferable to one nation. Handing preferences to one nation could boost its momentum nationwide, much like in South Australia, where it didn't win many seats, but disrupted. Conservatives big time. Taylor needs to win back base voters flocking to Pauline Hansen's party ahead of key state polls. With weeks left, the race could shift, but this highlights the liberals' buying feed. One nation's rise or risk losing ground long term as they scramble for a counter strategy.