Surge in Pauline Hanson’s popularity could help the party pick up 20 more seats and hold the balance of power

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

One Nation could be on track to better its result of 11 seats in the 1998 Queensland state election.

A new Galaxy Poll published in the Courier Mail suggests Pauline Hanson’s popularity could help the party pick up more than 20 seats and hold the balance of power in the 93-seat parliament.

James Ashby lays out One Nation's agenda for Queensland: 'We’re not mucking around here' Read more

Support for One Nation has jumped from 16% to 23% in three months, while the popularity of the premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, and the Liberal National Party is declining. Support for Palaszczuk dropped 7% to 39%, while support for the opposition leader, Tim Nicholls, was at 27%.

However strong support at the ballot box might not mean success in parliament. After the 1998 election the One Nation party imploded and MPs quit and formed other groups.

On Thursday One Nation disendorsed a candidate for the Queensland state election for not paying a $2,400 upfront fee to cover, in part, campaign materials.

Elise Cottam, the candidate for Callide, told Guardian Australia she had intended to have her son provide marketing material for “next to nothing” but the party had disendorsed her for failing to meet a Monday deadline to pay.