(Adelaide, February 2, 2026) — Former Liberal senator Cory Bernardi will lead One Nation’s Legislative Council ticket in South Australia, the party announced, marking the second high-profile defection from the former Coalition to One Nation in recent months.
Former Liberal senator Cory Bernardi will contest the South Australian state election as a One Nation candidate, bolstering the minor party’s profile ahead of the polls.
- Former Liberal senator Cory Bernardi will lead One Nation’s Legislative Council ticket in South Australia.
- This follows the recent defection of former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce to One Nation.
- One Nation is targeting former Liberal and National MPs amid rising support in opinion polls.
- Bernardi previously resigned from Federal Parliament in 2020 and founded the Australian Conservatives party, which later dissolved.
One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson said Bernardi, who resigned from Federal Parliament after 13 years in 2020, would spearhead the party’s campaign in the state’s upper house. Hanson stated she has been in discussions with Bernardi for some time, noting his shared vision for South Australia’s future.
Bernardi’s decision comes less than two months after former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce also joined One Nation, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Hanson has actively sought to recruit current and former Liberal and National MPs, capitalizing on polling data that shows One Nation gaining ground on the Coalition.
To secure a seat in the South Australian upper house, One Nation will need to attract slightly more than 8 percent of the vote, either through first preference ballots or preferences.
Pauline Hanson says she has been in discussions with Cory Bernardi for some time. (AAP: Mick Tsikas)
Background and Context
Bernardi previously left the Liberal Party in 2017 to establish his own Australian Conservatives party. However, the party dissolved two years later after receiving less than 1 percent of the Senate vote in the 2019 federal election. One Nation currently holds no seats in the South Australian parliament, after its sole MP, Sarah Game, resigned from the party last year. The party intends to field candidates in all lower house seats in the upcoming March election.
Bernardi expressed his belief that there was “very little difference” between the Labor and Liberal parties in South Australia, stating, “There’s no effective opposition to government; they’re effectively one party — a uni-party — and that’s a bad thing for South Australians because they’re being left behind.”
Hanson’s announcement did not mention speculation surrounding conservative Liberal MP Alex Antic potentially joining One Nation.
Time.news based this report in part on reporting by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and added independent analysis and context.
