In a significant political shakeup that boosts right-wing populist leader Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, two senior former members of Australia’s centre-right Liberal Party have announced their departure to join the minor party, with one ex-federal senator declining to close the door on a future parliamentary run.
Hanson revealed the defections of former Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes and ex-Liberal Party Vice President Teena McQueen during a public gathering at a regional pub in Rydal, located in New South Wales’ Blue Mountains, on Saturday. The arrivals mark the latest high-profile gains for One Nation, which has already welcomed former Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce and ex-South Australian Senator Cory Bernardi in recent months.
Hughes, who lost her Senate seat in the 2025 federal election, spoke to media on Sunday, confirming she had stepped down from the Liberal Party back in November. In her explanation for the switch, she said she could no longer recognize the party she once belonged to, claiming it has lost clear ideological direction. “I don’t think they know what they stand for anymore,” Hughes stated.
By contrast, she praised One Nation for retaining consistent core values over decades. “They stood by their convictions even when they were being dismissed and being quite frankly abused and treated incredibly poorly, and it’s been something I’ve been talking about with Pauline for quite some time,” she added.
When pressed repeatedly on whether she would contest a future state or federal parliamentary seat, just one year after exiting politics, Hughes refused to confirm or rule out a run. “I’m not ruling anything in and I’m not ruling anything out,” she said, adding “there has been absolutely no decision made about what that might look like in the future.”
She pushed back against suggestions she was hiding her plans, saying “I’m not trying to play possum. I haven’t made a decision at all. I really don’t know what I’m doing. So, when it comes to what I do moving forward, I may or may not run in the future and it may or may not be state or it may or may not not be federal.” Hughes noted that since news of her defection broke, her phone has been flooded with messages from supporters and commentators.
On policy issues, Hughes threw her support behind the federal Coalition’s proposal to cut welfare access for permanent residents, arguing most Australians are unaware of how much public benefit non-citizens currently receive. She also emphasized the need for Australia to prioritize quality migration over quantity, saying the country needs the “right sort of migrants … not people just making up the numbers and boosting GDP per capita so it doesn’t look like we’re in a recession.” She also drew attention to the ongoing issues surrounding the temporary closure of the Great Western Highway, a key transport route in regional NSW.
McQueen, the other defector, is known as an outspoken public supporter of former U.S. President and 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. For her part, Hughes has a history of internal Liberal Party tensions: she previously backed Sussan Ley in a leadership contest and has been openly critical of current Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, after she was removed from a winnable NSW Senate ticket ahead of the 2025 election.
When asked for comment on the defections, Taylor downplayed their significance, framing the move as a matter of personal choice in Australia’s democratic system. “Oh, that’s their choice,” he told Sky News. Pressed for further reaction, he added, “It’s their choice. I mean, I can, you know, I love the fact in this country we have democracy in choice. It’s a great thing.”