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Fourth LNP member defects to One Nation

Rachel Clun
  • 11 reading now

A fourth Queensland LNP member has quit the party to join One Nation amid claims more sitting conservative MPs could be considering jumping ship.

Former Logan MP Michael Pucci quit the LNP at the weekend to join One Nation as its campaign director.

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LNP having 'mass defections'

Former MP Michael Pucci is the latest person to switch allegiance from the LNP to One Nation, saying he needed a job after losing his seat of Logan. Nine News

One Nation state secretary Jim Savage confirmed the defection and warned there had been "discussions" with more sitting LNP MPs.

"I don't know what they're thinking but obviously one may suspect, and I suspect it but I might be totally wrong because I can't speak for others, but they're probably putting their toe in the pool to see how warm the water is," he said.

"And it might be worth jumping in or it might not be.

"I think that would be a fair assumption to make without trying to double guess anyone."

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Mr Pucci is the fourth LNP politician to defect to One Nation, joining former MPs Sam Cox and Neil Symes, as well as the Member for Buderim Steve Dickson.

While the news may be good for Pauline Hanson's party, it comes not long after another Queensland candidate was dumped over a controversial post on his website.

Peter Rogers was dropped as the party's candidate for the seat of Mulgrave on Friday, over a post on his page claiming the Port Arthur massacre and the drowning death of a Syrian toddler were made up.

Following the dumping of Mr Rogers - the third One Nation hopeful either dumped or withdrawn since December - Ms Hanson has said she's in control, and won't let rogue candidates destroy her party's chances.

"No one, no one is going to take it over and destroy what I want to achieve, what I want to do," she said.

However Queensland Premier Annastacia Palasczszuk said she was "not at all" concerned about the threat of One Nation in the state.

"It is ... my Labor government that is delivering for the people of Queensland," she said.

Mr Savage said the party's new campaign director, or office administrator, started work Monday morning and had been speaking with Ms Hanson about the role for about a fortnight or more.

He ruled out any possibility of Mr Pucci also running for a seat.

"No. That's not in the question. Definitely not," he said.

- with Jorge Branco