The Turnbull government is defending an unprecedented preference deal that will see the Liberals put One Nation ahead of the Nationals in Western Australia, with a senior frontbencher saying Pauline Hanson's party is more "sophisticated" than it was in John Howard's day.

Arthur Sinodinos says One Nation has "evolved" in the 16 years since his former boss, Mr Howard, decreed that the Liberal Party always put One Nation last on their how-to-vote cards.

"The One Nation of today is a very different beast to what it was 20 years ago," he told the ABC on Sunday.

"They're a lot more sophisticated. They've clearly resonated with a lot of people. Our job is to treat them as any other party.