The WA arm of the One Nation party looks set to implode before its political crusade in the state has even begun, as discontent grows among candidates over the recently struck preference deal with the WA Liberal party.
Radio 6PR's Gareth Parker said on Thursday that as many as fifteen One Nation candidates were disaffected with the preference deal the party had struck with WA's Liberal party and that at least 20 candidates were holding a meeting to discuss a way forward.
In the highly publicised deal, the Barnett government will preference One Nation above the Nationals in the upper house country regions in exchange for the far-right party's support in all lower house seats at the upcoming March 11 state election.
One Nation candidates Dane Sorensen - running for the seat of North West Central - and David Miller - running for the seat of Collie-Preston - are leading a charge of candidates threatening to disobey the directive to preference the Liberal Party in lower house seats at the upcoming state election, according to the ABC.
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Both candidates feel they are being used to secure Upper House seats for WA One Nation party leader Colin Tinknell at their expense.
Mr Sorensen, a former mining executive, and Mr Miller, an electrical fitter and traditional Labor voter, are big supporters of Ms Hanson but are united in their opposition to the backroom deal.
"How it looks to me, [the deal] is to get people into the Upper House at the expense of people in the Lower House.
"[I'm] less than impressed."
Mr Sorensen advised in an email sent to other upset One Nation candidates that they do their own how-to-vote cards, a sentiment endorsed by Mr Miller.
"This deal is shambolic," he wrote in the email.
"I feel like I have just received a kick in the fangs by our own party," one candidate said in an email.
"The party is selling me and the constituents out."
Another disgruntled candidate reportedly said "it's time to stop nailing One Nation posters to trees, and time to nail Colin Tinknell there instead".
Pauline Hanson said any candidate who had a problem with the deal should quit the party and run as an independent.
She said the preference deal was in the party's best interests and "paramount" to One Nation winning seats in the March 11 election.
"They've joined Pauline Hanson's One Nation and I've said right from the very beginning, I will run this party, meaning right from the top … who stands, policies, preferences."
"And I've said right from the very beginning, as far as preferences go, I'm trying to do the best that I can to get One Nation people elected to Parliament.
"Don't stand for Pauline Hanson's One Nation. They have every right to go and stand as an independent under their own name."
A total of 45 are running for One Nation in WA's March 11 poll.
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