This time it's a vastly different scenario. Finances are tight for Senator Lazarus's campaign. Credit:Nic Walker The former rugby league star has his own party – the Glenn Lazarus Team – with less support and a reduced campaign budget. He arguably has a profile to at least match Hanson, who is getting plenty of air time despite the fact she has failed in eight state and federal campaigns since losing her lower house seat in 1998. "People like Pauline, to me, are distractions," he told reporters. "Here we are right now talking about her.

"I get a lot of positive feedback about what I am doing, so I will continue to do that and not worry about what other people are doing or saying in other areas." Griffith University political analyst Paul Williams said Ms Hanson was in the "box seat" running in a double dissolution election. Mr Williams said the fact major parties were not preferencing her last had also given her a major boost. "It's the perfect storm for Hanson, if she can't score this time she should probably give it away," he said. However, he said changes in the "above the line" voting makes the Senate result difficult to predict and it was still possible for both Lazarus and Hanson to secure a seat.

"They're both in the mix, definitely. I wouldn't rule it out, strange things have happened ... and we don't know how the above-the-line preferencing will work." Mr Lazarus, though, was not keen to discuss Hanson's chances of returning to Canberra. Asked if Ms Hanson was best ignored, he replied: "Yeah, yeah, look, she has her style and says and does things that I don't agree with". The 50-year-old concedes that running as his own party has its stresses. "The fact the resources aren't there makes it very difficult, both on the ground and finances are tight," he said.

"I'm relying on what I've done and what I've achieved in the previous two years." AAP